


You Really Got a Hold on Me

by felinaandthecooks



Category: La casa de papel | Money Heist (TV)
Genre: A little angst, F/M, Lots of romance, M for future smut, Notting Hill remake, alternative universe, canon characters appear, lots of fluff, romcom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:48:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 56,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21919345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/felinaandthecooks/pseuds/felinaandthecooks
Summary: Sergio Marquina is the owner of an independent bookstore in Spain, but he never would've dreamed of the day famous actress Raquel Murillo entered his shop.Yes, this is a Notting Hill Serquel remake.
Relationships: Berlin | Andrés de Fonollosa/Palermo | Martín, Denver | Ricardo Ramos/Mónica Gaztambide, Raquel Murillo/Professor | Sergio Marquina
Comments: 258
Kudos: 479





	1. An actress walks into a bookstore...

**Author's Note:**

> I was rewatching Notting Hill the other day and while a lot of the movie holds up, there were a few things that made me grimace a little bit – and part of me started wondering what the story would be like for more mature adults and where communication was also a key aspect of the relationship. One thing led to another and I'm here? I already wrote my Serquel Christmas fluff so I thought this could be a nice Christmas surprise...? All in all, hope you guys like this attempt at a Serquel romcom.

In retrospect, Sergio knew this would happen from the get-go. Ricardo was a good friend, but he would never be his first option to work in the bookstore. If he had to be honest, he wouldn't even make the top 10 choices, but he was a friend and with Mónica pregnant, he was in a dire time of need, even if he had only ever seen Ricardo pick up a book to read twice in his lifetime – comic books notwithstanding.

Which is why Sergio was angry that he was late for his shift for the second time that week.

It didn't help that the shop held a book launch on the previous day and Sergio was left reorganizing piles after piles of books by himself. He was on top of the staircase rearranging some books when he heard the door bell ring and was immediately relieved that Ricardo had not been so late after all.

"Look who finally decided to show," he said, the tone of his voice slightly condescending, turning around to find that it was not Ricardo at all.

In fact, who was standing before him was a woman so beautiful he almost lost his balance in the stairs. She wore a white shirt, jeans, black heels and a brown bag hanging from her shoulder. She barely appeared to have any make up on, but she was still arguably the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

"Careful there," she chuckled wholeheartedly, walking further into the store. "And I'm sorry."

"Um," Sergio climbed down the stairs and adjusted the glasses that threatened to fall from his nose. "What for?"

"Had I known you were expecting me I would've shown up earlier," she joked, trying to suppress a smile.

"Oh," Sergio felt his cheeks burn red. "Sorry, I was expecting my... associate."

"I see," the woman nodded, her eyebrows raising in amusement as she took a moment to glance at the store and Sergio couldn't help but notice how her brown hair fell over her shoulders and framed her face so elegantly. He was hit with a feeling that her face was not unfamiliar.

"Can I– Can I help you with anything?" Sergio attempted, frustrated with how uneasy she was making him.

She turned her head to glance back at him, but for a moment she didn't say anything. She studied his face with intent and slowly parted her lips.

"I'm looking for a gift," she announced. "It's a friend's birthday and... we're always book swapping. I thought it'd make for a nice present."

"Well, if you ask me, books are the best presents," Sergio said, taking his time to walk around the counter. Talking about books was his safe spot. He instantly felt invigorated.

"I like wine," she blankly stated. "But I suppose books are the next best thing," she shrugged with a smile. Sergio chuckled and approached her as she looked at some of the fiction books next to her.

"So... What genre are you thinking?" He asked.

"I was thinking poetry would be a good fit. From a female author, of course," she said, her index finger lazily tracing an invisible path on the shelf.

"Okay. Do you know Emilia Currás?" Sergio offered, hurriedly walking over to another section of the store and picking up a book in the shelf. He flipped the book open to a page and swiped a finger across it. "Por mi ventana veo los barcos salir, ¿quién los pudiera seguir en su dulce navegar?"

"Anclada estoy a esta tierra con mil afanes diários, sin ilusión, ni cariño, ni fuerzas para marchar," the woman completed without having to look at the book he was holding. Sergio's eyes shot up in her direction, mesmerized. "That's one of my favorites. It was one of the books we swapped. My edition of Currás for one of Cecília Meireles' poem collections."

"Alright," Sergio proudly placed the book back in it's place, oddly appreciative of the woman's taste in literature. Then, it hit him and he raised an index finger. "How about... Almudena Guzmán?"

The woman squinted at him, as if she were trying to remember that name. He didn't hesitate in pulling up an edition of one of her poem books, Usted, and handing it to her. She took the book from his hands and opened in a random page.

"Esto ya va mejor. Ya no le tengo miedo," she started reading out loud and Sergio felt a shiver run through his spine. "Y me complace que usted, como quien no quiere la cosa, haya fijado el barniz de sus ojos en mis piernas."

She fell silent. He looked at her flipping through other pages of the book and he couldn't quite understand what was happening to him. He felt as if his entire body was hot and cold at the same time. The sound of her voice was ringing in his ears and yet all he could think about is that she could read him the phone book and he would enjoy it.

His thoughts were interrupted when she finally looked back up at him.

"This is perfect," she smiled. "Can I get it gift wrapped?"

"Of course," Sergio offered a soft smile and walked back to the counter as she followed him. She gave him the book when he opened the register and paid for it in cash. She then watched as he carefully wrapped up the book in a discrete brown paper with the shop's name, Hanoi, patterned all over it. He tried to ignore it, but Raquel's eyes were dangling from his hands to his face in a way that was making him nervous.

"I really can't thank you enough for your help..." She trailed off, leaving him room to fill up the blank.

"Oh, um, Sergio," he said, the corners of his mouth quivering up in an awkward smile. She suppressed a smile, finding his reaction unbearably endearing.

"Sergio," she repeated and there was something about the way his name parted from her lips that stirred a nervousness inside of him.

He pushed away the thoughts that threatened to overwhelm him and offered her a bag with her wrapped present.

"I hope your friend enjoys the present," he said, and when she picked up the bag and their fingers touched for a second, he swore he felt a jolt of electricity go through his body.

"Well, thank you, Sergio," she said with a smile, her fingernails oddly tapping the counter as if she was expecting him to say something.

"You're welcome," he softly replied. She nodded silently and then sighed.

"I guess I'm gonna go then," she slowly walked backwards, towards the door. "Bye," she said, before turning around.

"Bye," Sergio echoed and as soon as she walked out he felt an ache in his stomach.

Barely able to express a reaction, he watched Ricardo walk through the door she had just gone through.

He approached Sergio with his eyes widened, beaming with excitement, turning his face towards the door a couple of times.

"Nice of you to show up for your shift," Sergio muttered, shaking his head to regain his focus.

"Dude," he leaned against the counter as if he was telling him a secret. "Do you know who that was?"

"Um... A costumer?" Sergio furrowed his brow, continuing to go through the pile of books in front of him.

Ricardo let out his traditional loud laughter and playfully slapped Sergio in the shoulder.

"That's Raquel Murillo," he explained to a confused Sergio. "You know, the famous movie star?"


	2. Spill

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought I'd get my hands on a second chapter to leave you with a Christmas gift!

If Sergio had ever wanted to mute anyone, it would've been Ricardo that morning. He would not stop talking about Raquel Murillo, her movies, her personal life. Apparently, Mónica was a big fan of her and Ricardo had suitably followed his wife's interests. It became so unbearable, especially as Sergio quietly recounted every step of his interaction with her, that he had to excuse himself to get something to drink in a nearby shop.

He waited by the coffee shop's counter for his order, kicking himself for not knowing who she was, unaware of the fact that he was dealing with a big movie star and even more ashamed that he thought, even for a split second that she was slightly interested in what he had to say.

"Sergio?" The barista called out, a paper cup in hand.

"Here, thank you," he raised a hand and picked up his orange juice, walking out of the shop almost immediately.

He was walking in such a rush, eyes glazed with anxiety, that he didn't notice someone emerging from the street corner. In one second, all he felt was the collision of his body into another and his orange juice spilling on both of them.

"Oh, God, I'm so, so sorry," he offered, slowly retracting himself from the person he had literally just ran into. When his eyes finally looked up, he wanted the ground to crack open and swallow him whole.

"God, is there a fire or something?" Raquel asked, her hands attempting to swipe off the orange juice of her shirt. It seemed like she didn't recognize him and it somehow made Sergio feel both better and worse. But then, she glanced up at him, her eyes very focused: "Sergio, right? Is everything okay?"

He felt at a loss of words. The fact that not only she remembered him, but that she wasn't raging that he had just spilled a pint of orange juice on her just made him all the more embarrassed at the situation.

"Um," Sergio gulped. "Yeah, no, sorry. Other than being completely inept at such a basic skill as _walking_ and having practically ruined your shirt, there's no trouble."

Raquel laughed genuinely.

"Well, you didn't ruin my shirt, I'm sure it will be okay after a rinse," she countered politely.

Sergio didn't fully understand how the words that came out of his mouth just then, since the phrase didn't even register in his mind, but nevertheless they did leave his lips:

"Look, I... I would feel terrible to make you walk around like this, especially since it was all my fault," he said, scratching his head. "I live just across the street, you can freshen up there if you'd like."

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to bother you, I can just go find a store and..." Raquel raised her eyebrows at him.

"It's no trouble, really," he shook his head. "And it would certainly alleviate my conscience," he couldn't help the smile that escaped his lips and his heart fluttered when Raquel mirrored it almost instantly.

"Well, how close do you live?"

* * *

Raquel waited quietly for Sergio to unlock his front door.

"Please, come on in," he twisted the key and opened the door, waving a hand for her to enter. She walked into the living room of the apartment feeling a little nervous. What was she thinking? Going into a complete stranger's apartment in a city she didn't live in?

She looked around the apartment – it wasn't a large floor plan, but there were hardwood floors, a small kitchen island separating both rooms and one door, which Raquel assumed to be to the bedroom. There weren't many objects decorating the house, but there were quite a lot of plants, a dining table, a small couch, a wall covered in books and a tiny balcony framed by two large bouganville plants, it's white and pink flowers dancing in the wind.

"Can I offer you anything? Tea, coffee, water?" Sergio said, walking over to the kitchen. She turned around to look at him.

"I'd like some water, please," she said, then approaching the wall of books, curiously looking through the selection.

Raquel almost jumped when she felt something against her leg and was startled to find out a small gray cat, not much bigger than a kitty, smelling her foot and promptly throwing itself on the floor, belly up. She smiled and kneeled down to pet the cat, who seemed delighted at the attention, melting at her touch.

"Oh, I see you met Palawan," he smiled, walking over to offer her a glass of water. She raised to her feet to pick up the glass and the cat meowed as if it were in pain. "Sorry, she's a little needy," he said, crouching down and whistling at the cat.

It was as if they had their own language. Palawan immediately climbed up on Sergio's legs and torso, sitting on his shoulder as if it were a parrot. Raquel laughed as Sergio stood up with Palawan happily sitting on his shoulder and the worry that she entered a dangerous stranger's home simply vanished.

"She's adorable," Raquel raised a hand to caress the cat's chin and it reveled in the touch, purring and head-butting her hand in joy, asking for more caresses.

Sergio felt his breaths becoming more shallow and agitated as he noticed how close she was. Her gaze flickered from the cat to his eyes and it was as if she had suddenly become aware of the proximity between them.

She took a step back, turning her attention to the glass of water in her other hand and drinking it, as Palawan jumped from Sergio's shoulder to the floor, probably sensing the awkwardness. 

"Right, so," Sergio shook his head, nervous, and opened a small closet. He picked up a green towel and offered it to Raquel. She took it from his hand with a soft smile. "You can freshen up or take a shower if you'd like, the bathroom's right inside the bedroom. Take your time."

"Thank you," Raquel nodded and followed his directions. She walked into the bedroom and couldn't help but notice how organized and neat everything was. She was not used to see such a combination of good taste and carefulness from men, at least not the ones she had met in her life. The bedroom walls were white, there was a huge antique window facing large trees, and the room was filled only by a queen sized bed, two bedside tables, a white closet, a large wooden table that probably served as his home office and a small nook by the window.

She entered the bathroom, seemingly as white as the bedroom, but with black and white tiles on the floor, a shower head, a bathtub and a few plants surrounding it. She locked the door behind her and turned on the shower above the bathtub as she removed her clothes. She tried to focus on the task at hand, but couldn't help but think about Sergio waiting for her in the kitchen. She smiled to herself and thought about what Alicia would say about this whole ordeal. _Leave it to Raquel to be attracted to an unknown man who owns a bookshop._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo, here we are at chapter two. Did you like it?


	3. What about the romance?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might have gotten excited about this fic and may have outlined and written a lot of scenes already. Ops lol.

Sergio decided to make some coffee while he waited for her, if only because he didn't quite know what to do with his hands. The fact that she was in his apartment was so surreal he couldn't even wrap his head around it. He wished he could amount it to the fact that she was a famous actress but if he had to be honest, it was the fact that she had been the first woman ever who made him feel like that. It was the sort of thing he was used to read about in books but he had always thought it was a flourished way of describing an allegedly common feeling. He was immerse in his thoughts, finishing pouring the coffee in a thermal bottle when he heard the sound of his bathroom door opening. He turned around to put the kettle back on top of the stove and didn't notice Raquel had approached him.

"Sergio?" She called out gently.

He turned around and felt his cheeks burn red. She was in her jeans, but instead of the shirt he had spilled his drink on, she was wearing only a black lace bra. He immediately turned around again, flustered, and she had to suppress a smile.

"I was wondering if you could borrow me a shirt to wear while I wash this one," she asked.

"Um, sure. You can go through my closet in the bedroom," he said, feeling drops of sweat forming in his forehead.

"You can look at me, you know," Raquel shrugged. He had forgotten that, because of her career, she was probably used to people directing their stares at her all the time. "It's only a bra, it's not a lot different from a bikini top."

Sergio still felt the tension in his shoulders as he bit the inside of his cheek, turning around to face her but his eyes glued to the floor. He still felt ashamed of looking at her, because he feared he would make her feel uncomfortable with him, a man she didn't know, in his home, a place she didn't know. She chuckled at his shyness.

"You're cute," she said and his heart skipped. There was no time to reply, as she vanished back into his bedroom.

Sergio took the moment to recollect himself. _Don't be weird_ , he thought to himself.

"Okay, I'm dressed," she announced, walking out of the bedroom in one of his white shirts, using the leftover fabric that would've hung over her jeans to tie a knot on the level of her stomach, part of her waist remaining bare skinned. "Now where can I wash this?" She approached him and raised her own shirt on her index finger and he nodded.

"Here, let me," he took the shirt from her hand and picked up a large pot to fill with hot water. "There's coffee in that bottle if you'd like," he signaled.

"Hmm, coffee does sound good," she said. "Mugs?"

"Cabinet," he said, pointing out the correct cabinet as he picked up some white powder and threw it in the large pot he had filled with water.

Raquel picked up two mugs and set it on the counter, turning around to observe what he was doing.

"What's that you're using?" She curiously asked.

"Sodium bicarbonate, it really helps to remove almost any stain. A few minutes soaking it in and it will be just as new," Sergio replied. "Did you know you can clean an entire house with baking soda and lemon?"

"No, I did not," Raquel had to hold back a laughter, but a smile came through. "Granted, I don't spend much time at home to actually learn about the intricacies of cleaning a house. But ask me anything you want about blocking a scene and I'll tell you."

Sergio washed his hands on the sink and turned around to find her pouring two mugs of coffee. He smiled at the seeming intimacy of the moment, even if he had never met her until that morning. He was not a _people_ person and it was normally tiring having people over at his house, but this felt different. He almost felt... at ease with her company.

"So are you... Are you in town for a film?" He asked, adjusting his glasses with the knuckle of his index finger. Raquel smiled as she sat on one of his stools, a mug in hand.

"I'm in town for a press conference actually," she said, sipping from her mug. "You know, I'm normally able to tell when people recognize me. I couldn't tell if you had, though."

"In the spirit of honesty, I do have to confess I had no clue who you were when you came into the bookshop earlier," Sergio admitted, striking a genuine smile from her. "But Ricardo, who works with me, walked in raving about you and your films. I'm not much of a movie person."

There was a beat and he felt like she was studying him. He turned around and picked up his mug, leaning against the counter comfortably to look at her.

"Come on, you strike me as a Nouvelle Vague fan," Raquel teased.

"I do recognize the talents of names like Truffaut, Godard and Varda, and I know there are valuable films being made around the world – I just end up spending more time reading and running the shop than actually watching anything that has come out in theaters recently," Sergio explained, drinking from his own mug.

"So when was the last time you watched something in a movie theater?" She asked, eyes focused on him.

"Honestly? I think it was Bram Stoker's Dracula," Sergio scratched his head and Raquel gasped. He looked up at her, his eyebrows raised at her reaction.

"You have got to be kidding," she chuckled. "You do know that movie came out in 1992, right?"

Sergio shrugged, an embarrassed smile dangling on his lips.

"How about you tell me about your latest movie?" He attempted and she squinted at him.

" _Smooth_ ," she shook her head. "I'll stop teasing you, but I'm afraid it's your turn to tease me now... It's... a dark comedy about this newlywed couple. But I actually play the husband's ex wife. Against all odds there aren't so many parts for a 40-something actress," she paused, trying to contain the bitterness in her irony. "My agent's going after some directors in the independent circuit but... I don't know. They all have their favorite actresses already. Sometimes I wish I could just make my own films, you know? With an entire female crew and a realstoryline and..."

She trailed off for a minute and Sergio noticed something different in her eyes. It lasted a second, before she shook her head and looked up at him wearing a smile.

"Why don't you?" He asked.

Her brow furrowed.

"Why don't you make your own film?" He clarified. She chuckled, yet he remained serious.

"I..." She began, trying to find an answer for him, but she realized she didn't have an answer herself. "I don't know," she honestly said and it was clear in her expression that she actually considering this for the first time.

"Well, maybe you should think about it," Sergio shrugged. "You do have a lot of experience, as far as I was told," he adjusted his glasses again and Raquel glanced at him with genuine gratitude.

How was it that this man already had more faith in her than most of the people who she worked with and underestimated her for the past two decades?

Then, she licked her lips, a thoughtful expression in her face. There was a pause during which she studied him intently.

"You're a writer," she affirmed, rather than asked. His lips parted hesitantly.

"N-no," he denied. "I _write_. But I'm not a writer..."

"Just because you haven't published anything doesn't mean you're not a writer," Raquel rolled her eyes. "So what are you working on? A novel?"

He begrudgingly nodded.

"What's it about?" She asked, ears perking up in excitement. He couldn't help but smile.

"It's... kind of a crime mystery. A man recruits a bunch criminals to commit an assault on the Royal Mint of Spain. They take hostages as part of a plan to print their own money and escape as millionaires while trying to remain ahead of the police who threaten to take them down," he explained, suddenly realizing this is the first time he has ever discussed his book with anyone.

"Sounds interesting," Raquel smiled. "What about the romance?"

"The romance...?" Sergio echoed, confused.

"Well, yes. If you're writing a crime mystery, you have to have a romance. Maybe two of the criminals get together and it causes drama. Or maybe one of them gets involved with someone from the police investigation," Raquel suggested.

"I don't think I would know the first thing about writing a romance," Sergio confessed, avoiding her eyes.

"Good thing you own a shop full of books to take inspiration from," she smiled.

He looked up at her and – he hated this expression, but there was no other way to describe this – he felt butterflies on his stomach. He gradually became aware of a buzzing sound and for a second he thought his head was playing tricks on him.

"Oh, that's me," she reached for her bag and grabbed her phone, answering the call. "Alicia, hi!" She paused. "Oh, shit, what time is it?" She continued talking on the phone as Sergio turned around to twist her shirt and remove the excess water. He then threw it on the dryer and turned the machine on. "Yeah, sure. No, I'll meet you there. Thanks."

"Sorry about that, it's this crazy schedule," she threw her phone back in her bag and turned back to look at Sergio. "I have a press junket tonight and I forgot I was supposed to meet my publicist in an hour."

"No need to apologize," he waved a hand as she got up and put her bag over her shoulder. "I'm sorry for... spilling my drink and troubling you with this whole ordeal."

"I liked this whole ordeal," she simply said, the corners of her lips quirking up.

He felt nervous again and this time it was the dryer that saved him. He turned around to open it.

"No stains," he confirmed and raised the shirt up for her to see. She looked at him marveled and walked around the counter for closer inspection. 

"What are you, some sort of domestic MacGyver?" She asked, earning a chuckle from him as she grabbed the shirt from his hands. "Thank you."

"It was the least I could do," he shrugged.

They quietly walked out of the kitchen and into the living room together.

"I better get going then," she said, turning her heels to walk towards the door.

"Yes, sure," he followed her suit, and reached for the knob to open it for her.

"Thank you," she softly said while walking out, then turned around to glance at him one last time. "It was nice meeting you, Sergio."

"It was nice meeting you too," he replied. "Surreal but nice."

She contained a smile and walked away. He closed the door behind her and grimaced. _Surreal but nice_?

He shook his head and tried to inhale and exhale as he felt his anxiety flare up again. Why did he say that? Why would he ever say that?

And then there was a knock. He froze for a moment. Then, nervous, he gulped, opened the door and there she was again.

"I forgot my other bag," she said, pointing at the book she had gotten earlier at Hanoi.

"Oh, right," he replied, rushing off to pick it up and bring it back to her. He handed it over and they were quiet for a second, looking at each other's eyes.

Suddenly, she closed the distance between them and let her lips crash against his. The kiss was gentle and warm, her lips were so soft and she let a hand rest on the back of his neck. Then, their lips parted and their tongues collided and she couldn't help but press her body against his. It took him a moment, but Sergio soon let his hands slip around her waist, pulling her further against him.

It seemed to have lasted an eternity until they finally parted, both of them breathless. Raquel let her hand slide from his neck to his chest and she smiled at him.

"Sorry, I would've regretted if I hadn't done that," she explained. He noticed his hands were still resting on her waist but he didn't want to move.

"I... Don't... It..." He muttered, confused.

"Did I break you?" She snorted, pressing a hand against her lips to mute her laughter.

"You most certainly have done something to me," he admitted, feeling his cheeks go red. She smiled. "Sorry about the surreal but nice comment."

"It's okay. The real low point was the fact you haven't been to the movies since the 1992 Barcelona Olympics," she teased. "I do have to go now... But maybe you can stop by the Ritz Hotel at 6-ish? We can grab a drink and I'll give you your shirt back," she offered.

Sergio couldn't believe this was actually happening.

"Yes," he promptly answered. "I mean, don't worry about the shirt, it... definitely looks better on you than on me," he said, and Raquel's smile grew larger. "But yes to the drinks. Ritz Hotel. 6-ish."

"Okay," she nodded. "I should really go now," she slowly parted from his embrace. "See you later," she said. 

"See you later," Sergio echoed. He stood there like a statue until the door closed, at loss of what he had to do next.

What had just happened?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a few things written to review and post in the next few days, so maybe indulge me with your thoughts and comments as I go through the next chapters? :D


	4. Press Junket

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Excited to show you how Alicia comes in to the picture. I love how most AUs that involve Raquel have her and Alicia as friends because I can totally picture that happening if things were different. Also, another familiar face pops by in this chapter, lol.

Sergio felt as if his nervousness were leaving his body through every pore in the form of sweat. He stood in the elevator, third floor pressed, unsure of what it would be like meeting Raquel again.

Then, just before the elevator door closed, a man put a hand up to stop it and stepped in hurriedly.

"Good afternoon," the man said, looking down at his phone. He had a look of distress on his face.

"Good afternoon. What floor?" Sergio asked.

"Oh, third, please," the man replied, noticing he hadn't yet pressed a button.

"Sure," Sergio shrugged, silently adjusting the collar of his shirt. 

The doors opened on the third floor and the two men stepped out at the same time. Sergio took a right and exchanged a nervous look with the man, who he noticed was right behind him. Sergio sighed. He wanted to be discreet and preserve her privacy, how would he meet her without raising awareness of this stranger?

He walked up to the door the receptionist had given him and found weird when the man from the elevator walked up behind him.

"Are you sure this is the room...?" He turned around, pointing at Raquel's door.

"Yeah," the man nodded and proceeded to knock on the door.

Sergio felt his stomach turn. _What was going on?_

The door swung open, but instead of Raquel, who stood there was a woman with strawberry blonde hair pulled into a bun and a tailored executive suit with a clipboard in hand.

"Hello, good afternoon, I'm Alicia, please come on in," she greeted, turning around and walking back inside and leaving the door open for them to come through. The man behind Sergio followed her without questions asked and he was so confused he just did the same. "I'm sorry we're running late, here are your press kits," she picked up two paper folders from a nearby table and gave each of them one. "So, how did you guys like the film?"

Sergio's brows furrowed as she clicked her heels, stopping next to what seemed to be a waiting room, and turned around to face them.

"So good, Ms. Murillo was amazing in it," the man next to Sergio commented. "And the dialogue, it did remind me of Baumbach's works."

Alicia smiled, seemingly pleased, turning her head to Sergio.

"And what did you think?" She questioned.

"Oh, I agree," he simply stated, but Alicia's eyes remained fixated on him as if she were waiting for a continuation. He coughed. "Ms. Murillo was a... tour de force."

"Glad to hear that," she smiled, satisfied, then picked up a pen and took her gaze towards the clipboard. "So where are you from again?"

"Fotogramas, name is Ángel Rubio," the man introduced himself and Alicia wrote something on her papers.

"And you?" Alicia glanced up at Sergio.

"Hanoi... Cine?" He tempted.

Alicia's eyebrows furrowed as she wrote down something in her clipboard and Sergio felt as if he had done something wrong. In a second, she looked up at them with a mechanic smile. 

"Okay, if you could just wait a minute, please make yourselves comfortable," she said, signaling at the chairs and turning around.

"Excuse me, Alicia..." Sergio stepped up closer and she looked back at him. "I... I think Ms. Murillo is expecting me. Sergio Marquina."

Ángel watched curiously and Sergio gulped, his nerves getting the best of him.

"Okay, Sergio Marquina from Hanoi Cine," Alicia repeated. "I'll let her know."

* * *

It took Alicia under five minutes to come back and direct Sergio to another door. He knocked on it before he twisted the knob and it took him a deep breath to actually believe Raquel was in front of him again.

She wore a long mustard dress that complimented her silhouette perfectly. He nervously walked in and approached her.

"Hi" was all he could muster to say.

"Hey," she said, giving him a quick hug. "I'm sorry, I thought this would've been over by now," she explained and motioned him to the couch and chairs next to them. "So... Hanoi Cine, huh?"

"I panicked," he said, as he followed her through the room.

He opened his mouth to say something, but Alicia came in the room at the very moment. She moved straight towards a table, ruffling through a bunch of papers and her phone as if they weren't even there, but it made Sergio acutely aware of her presence.

"So..." He trailed off, adjusting his glasses. 

"Oh, please, go ahead," Raquel smiled, sitting down on the couch and staring at him, clearly amused by the situation. 

He sighed as she tried to suppress her laughter and he sat down on the chair across the couch. He searched for any kind of question he could make as a journalist. 

"Yeah, um... How was your... preparation for the role?" He finally settled.

"Interesting you should ask, um, there's a Nouvelle Vague film I really like," she said, addressing their earlier conversation. 

"Really?" He asked, eyes widening.

"Yeah, La Pointe Courte," she continued. "Have you seen that one?"

"Yes, I did," Sergio replied.

"Did you see in it in the movie theatre?" She smirked and he had to contain a chuckle.

"Well, yes, it did play in a small art house theatre..." He explained, but she interrupted him.

"I take it that was before 1992 then," she whispered as Alicia walked out of the room.

When they were alone again, Raquel laughed and it was so contagious he found himself laughing with her.

"God, I suck at this," he said, painfully aware of himself. 

"I expected more stealth from a man writing a crime mystery," Raquel teased.

"I'm sorry, did you expect stealth... _from me_?" Sergio scoffed. "Let me remind you this is the man who spilt his drink on you."

Raquel smiled at him. She couldn't help but find his awkwardness utterly adorable. 

"What are you doing tonight?" She suddenly spat out. "I think... I think I might be stuck here another twenty minutes, but if you wouldn't mind waiting..."

"I can wait," he instantly replied.

"Yeah?" Her eyes lit up at his acceptance.

"Yeah," he echoed. And then, it hit him. Was that _tonight_? "Oh, shit, no."

"No?" Raquel furrowed her brow at him, confused. 

"Um, it absolutely slipped my mind," he started to explain. "My brother's having a party tonight."

"A party?" She repeated, more intrigued than disappointed.

"Yeah, but I can– I can drop by... some other day," Sergio said, instantly wishing he had bitten his own tongue instead.

"I could come," she offered.

"What?" He was sure he had heard her wrong.

"To the party," she calmly said. "I wouldn't mind going with you, if you'd like."

"To my brother's party?" He once again questioned, still finding it hard to believe that _Raquel Murillo_ had nothing better to do than to join him at his brother's dinner party.

His silence had apparently made her reconsider the offer.

"Or we can meet some other time, I can–" She started to backtrack before he interrupted her.

"Come with me," he stated firmly. "I mean, would you please come with me?"

She smiled and the corner of her eyes gently squinted as she looked at him.

"I'd love to," she accepted.

"Okay," he said as they both got up from their seats.

"It's a date," Raquel settled, winking at him.

"Okay..." He muttered, his head still buzzing as he reached for the door.

"See you soon," she said as he twisted the knob.

Sergio left the room, closing the door behind him wearing a goofy smile. He felt as if he was walking on a cloud. Ángel came up to him, curious.

"So, how was she?" He inquired.

Sergio raised his shoulders, trying to come up with an appropriate word to reply.

"Magnificent."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, had to throw Ángel in there, especially because he makes perfect sense as the nosy journalist heh
> 
> Next chapter: dinner party! Ready to meet Sergio's friends?


	5. Rules of Engagement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's someone missing from the dinner scene, but she has a special place later in the story lol

Ágata widened her eyes in shock and almost coughed up the wine she was drinking.

"He is bringing a date?" She echoed, sitting down on the stool as Andrés and Martín moved around the kitchen prepping dishes.

"That's what he told me," Andrés replied.

"You mean... _Our Sergio_ ," she repeated, still confused. "The man who once told me dating was useless because knowledge subverts love..."

"I thought she was coming here early to help us," Martín complained to Andrés, who smirked at him, and turned around to face Ágata. "Aren't you here to help us?"

"... He is coming to your party – with a date," Ágata continued, ignoring Martín's efforts. "Who we've never even heard of before? I didn't even know he was seeing someone. I am definitely anxious to get to know this woman."

"You and me both," Andrés said, putting a dish in the oven.

The doorbell rang and Ágata's eyes and ears perked up.

"I'll get it," she announced, climbing out of the stool and rushing to the front door and opening it quickly.

Sergio was the first person she saw and she didn't hesitate throwing her arms around him in a hug.

"Aaahhh, you're here," she exclaimed and he hugged her tightly.

"Hey, Ags," he said, retracting from the hug to make room for Raquel. "Ágata, this is Raquel."

Ágata then glanced over at the woman standing behind him. Her lips parted but, for the first time since Sergio met her, no words came out.

"Nice to meet you, Ágata," Raquel greeted, kissing her cheek.

"You're... um... Wow. You..." Ágata felt lost for a moment and Raquel smiled, seemingly used to the reaction she had on people.

"Um, can we come in?" Sergio asked, afraid that he was already in for the most embarrassing night of his life.

"Oh, sorry, please do," Ágata said, making room for them to go through the door. "They're in the kitchen."

Sergio motioned his head toward the room and Raquel nodded as he led the way to the kitchen. Ágata stood there for a moment.

"Oh my God..." She said, out loud. "I need to call Mónica, she's gonna have a fit."

In the kitchen, Sergio and Raquel walked in to find Andrés setting up some bite sized entrees in a tray and Martín cleaning up the surfaces.

"Hi, Andrés," Sergio said, offering him a nervous smile.

"Sergio!" Andrés exclaimed, walking over to give him a warm hug. He then looked at Raquel and a laughter escaped him. "And you're Raquel Murillo."

"Yes, I am," she said, greeting him.

"Raquel, this is my brother, Andrés," Sergio introduced and Martín came up to greet them as well. "And this is Martín, his fiancé."

"Hi," Martín greeted them both, suddenly nervous that a famous actress was standing in his less than immaculate kitchen.

"Um, this is for you guys," Sergio offered his brother a small box. He took it from his hand and opened it, studying the content for a few seconds before taking the dark blue silk tie out of the box for all of them to see. "It was dad's. I thought, you know, since you're going to need something old, something borrowed and something blue... This might do the trick."

Andrés looked down at his brother, his eyes shining from tears he was having a hard time fighting back, and pulled Sergio in for another hug.

"Thank you," he softly said, clearly overwhelmed. Martín smiled, caressing Andrés' back, and Raquel suddenly felt as if she were intruding an intimate family gathering. Andrés must've noticed, because he let go of Sergio and then shot a glance back at her.

"Congratulations on your engagement," Raquel smiled, offering them a bottle of wine. Andrés gladly took it from her hand.

"Thank you so much," Andrés said.

"I will put this one to chill, can I offer you wine while we're at it? Red, white?" Martín offered.

"Red for me, please," Raquel softly said.

"Two reds," Sergio said.

"Raquel, please, make yourself at home. But if you don't mind me asking... how the hell did you end up here with my little brother?" Andrés smirked, looking at both of them.

"Oh," Raquel smiled, placing a hand on Sergio's forearm. He instantly felt the warmth of her touch through the layers of clothes he was wearing, as if a hot iron had been put against his skin. "We actually met at his shop, then he spilt his orange juice on me and a press junket later here we are. I'm sorry for crashing your party," she offered.

"Oh, please," Andrés shook his head. "Anyone who's able to charm Sergio is more than welcome here," he kindly replied and Sergio felt as if he should crawl under the table.

Andrés turned around to put away his tie and pick up some dishes and Raquel looked up at Sergio. He turned his head to glance at her, the corners of her lips curving into a smile, and suddenly all his worries faded. She shook her head, trying to wipe away the stupid smile she had on, resting her forehead on his arm to regain her posture. Sergio couldn't help but smile. He wasn't an unhappy man and yet he didn't remember the last time he was this happy.

She raised her head with a new poise and looked up at the couple in front of them.

"Why don't we take a seat?" Martín offered, the wine glasses in hand.

* * *

Sergio was relieved. He honestly hadn't given his friends a lot of credit – he was so sure one of them would create a buzz or fanfare with the addition of Raquel to the evening, but aside from the initial surprise and shock from having a movie star in their midst, everyone was incredibly warming. Mónica mentioned, excited, that she was a fan, Ricardo added that he loved the science fiction film she had done recently ("the one with all the dinosaurs and shit") and Aníbal would not have recognized her if it weren't for Ágata's whispers in his ear. 

It sure helped that Raquel was used to charming a room. She was very attentive and was quick to learn everyone's names and facts about them as she observed their conversations. She jumped in with jokes, anecdotes and clever comments. She helped Andrés pick an album to play – he offered Coltrane, she countered with Mingus and they were both content when she pulled up one of Davis' – and helped Martín with the dishes. She and Mónica bonded over their veganism and Ágata made Raquel's belly hurt with laughter from stories of her failed dates with men and women. Ricardo took it upon himself to teach Raquel how to dance cumbia, since spending one semester in Colombia was clearly enough for him to self-proclaim himself a "pro", and Aníbal made sure to record the lesson in his phone to use it against him later.

By the time Andrés and Martín served desert – a naked cake and a platter of fruits – it felt like Raquel had always been a part of their little group, even though there were so many gaps she still tried to fill in her head – names of people unknown to her, references of places and situations she didn't fully grasp. It had been a while since Raquel had actually felt at ease in a room full of people. The way they all talked to each other, how they hugged and kissed and weren't afraid to shower each other with affection, how they treated the other like family – teasing, complaining, laughing, caring. It was a feeling she didn't get from anyone but her mother and her sister, but she finally felt like she could let her guard down.

She decided to fill the comfortable silence that had befallen them as they all sipped their teas and coffees to get to know them better.

"So how do you all know each other?" Raquel asked, taking a sip of her tea.

"Well, I worked in Sergio's shop for three? Four years?" Ágata turned to Sergio for confirmation.

"Sounds about right," he shrugged. "Ágata really helped me shape up the shop."

"And your life, for that matter," Ágata said, and then she turned her eyes to Raquel to add: "You're welcome. You have no idea the misanthrope he was before we became friends."

"Did we become friends or did you force me into being your friend?" Sergio raised his eyebrows, clearly tantalizing her.

"Oh, please, you clung onto me like a sloth!" She stuck out her tongue at him and it made Sergio and Raquel laugh.

"Aníbal and I went to postgrad together," Mónica explained.

"Aníbal?" Raquel echoed, suddenly surprised.

"Don't be fooled by his baby face, he is our little genius. Aren't you, cariño?" Ágata pinched his cheek and he pushed her away, trying to hide the smile on his face.

"Shut up," Aníbal rolled his eyes and picked up a couple of grapes from the table tray, then raising his chin up at Sergio, his mouth full. "Sergio was a guest teacher in our masters course."

Raquel raised her eyebrows at Sergio.

"I'm pretty sure they became my friends in a failed attempt to gain inside knowledge on the final assignment," Sergio explained to Raquel.

"I've told you many times that may have been a factor but it wasn't the reason we remained friends," Mónica smiled.

"What was it, then?" Ágata provoked, jokingly.

They all laughed as Sergio shook his head.

"Oh, and Mónica met Ricardo during one of Andrés' birthday extravaganzas in Ibiza," Martín jumped in to explain.

"That was a fun weekend. God, I miss drinking," Mónica pouted, her hands caressing her baby bump. Ricardo shifted in his seat to place a kiss on her belly and she softly smiled in return, raising a hand to cup his cheek when he sat back on his chair.

"And believe it or not Sergio was actually the one to introduce me to Martín," Andrés chuckled. 

"Why would she not believe that?" Sergio asked, feigning a scoff.

"Don't take it the wrong way, Professor, but you're not exactly known for your, uh, romance tactics," Ricardo teased.

"Although you probably had some cards up your sleeve or else Raquel wouldn't be here," Ándres countered.

Sergio looked down at his lap, shy. Raquel noticed his uncomfortableness and tried to steer the conversation.

"Professor?" She repeated a word Ricardo had said, intrigued. 

"It's a silly nickname," Sergio said, trying to wave it off, but it was too late. Raquel was far too interested now and everyone at the table was happy to indulge her.

"Has he ever gone into these really long and overzealous explanations about something very particular with you?" Andrés asked.

" _Yes_ ," Raquel instantly replied. "Just before we got here he was going over the architectural flaws in public transportation."

The entire table erupted in laughter with the exception of Sergio, who felt as red as a tomato.

"Hence, Professor," Aníbal pointed at Sergio, who wanted nothing more but to become invisible in that moment. 

"You're the worst and I hate you all," he said to his friends through gritted teeth.

"I think it's very endearing," Raquel stated matter-of-factly and everyone went silent, but she wouldn't have noticed. Her eyes were set on Sergio and only him. Ágata elbowed Mónica under the table. 

Andrés noticed the little moment and changed the subject, attempting to drive the table's attention away from the two of them.

Sergio and Raquel continued to stare into each other's eyes. She couldn't resist the urge to place her hand over his under the table and it was such a grateful surprise his palm quickly turned up to take her hand in his, their fingers intertwining.

She resisted the urge to chuckle, but a smile graced her lips anyway as she pulled their clasped hands closer to her lap and used her free hand to take a sip of her tea, turning her head to hear Ágata speak. Sergio let out a small sigh and looked up to find his brother's eyes on him.

Andrés smirked and Sergio nodded, exasperated, as if he said: _yes, I know. I'm in trouble_.


	6. A Walk to Remember

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I loved writing this chapter – it's a fluffy transitional scene in the movie – and I hope you guys like reading it too :)

It was either the wine, holding Raquel's hand or maybe a combination of both but Sergio felt a little more confident by the time they were saying their goodbyes to his friends. It lasted for an entirety of one minute, because as the front door of Andrés' house closed behind them, they heard cheers, giggles and small content screams from his friends.

Sergio hid his face in his hands as Raquel laughed. He brought his hands back to the side of his body and sighed. 

"They always do that when I leave the house," he lied.

"Really?" She mused, pretending to buy his cover story.

"Yeah, it's very annoying," he waved it off casually as they walked down the steps to the street.

Raquel was still wearing the mustard dress she had on for the press junket and the street lights made her tan skin seem as if it were glowing. The night was chilly and she felt a shiver run through her spine when a breeze encountered them. It was mere instinct to lift her arms and embrace herself, but as soon as she did so she felt Sergio's jacket rest on top of her shoulders.

She looked up at him, grateful, and upon seeing his face she felt there was nothing she could say. His beard framed his soft, half-enebriated smile, and without the jacket she could see through his white, long sleeved, button-up shirt that he had some muscles hidden underneath.

Keep it together, Raquel, she thought to herself.

"So, how long have Andrés and Martín known each other?" She asked, trying to drive her eyes away from his shoulders.

"Three years now," Sergio answered, hands inside his pockets. She suddenly missed the warmth of his hand against hers.

"That was a lovely present you gave him," she added gently.

"Yeah," he shook his head and his tone had just a tinge of sorrow. "Our father passed away five years ago, so he never got to meet Martín... I thought, at least this way, he'll be present somehow."

"I'm sorry about your father," she said, resisting the urge to give him a hug. "Were you close?"

"We were, all three of us," Sergio explained. "My mother passed when we were little so it was always just us. And I was just... I was a very sick kid, you know? So I ended up always going in and out of hospitals. Unlike Andrés, I was homeschooled and most of the time I was with my father at the book shop."

"Hanoi was your father's?" She asked.

He nodded silently.

There was a pause. 

"I never met my father," she confessed. "He left my mom when she was still pregnant with my sister and I was just a baby. He only reached out to meet me after I was nominated for an Oscar," she rolled her eyes. "I can't complain, though, my mom is incredible. She raised me and my sister single-handedly."

It dawned on Raquel that she had never shared that with anyone else but Alicia. Somehow, she felt she could trust Sergio with that information. 

"I'm sorry about your father too," he said and she shrugged. "No, really. He missed out on getting to know a quite remarkable person."

Raquel smiled, suddenly embarrassed that he thought that about her.

"You just met me today," she laughed, even though she knew in her bones he meant it. 

"Still," he pointed out. "If I became aware of that in a day, can you imagine what he missed out in a lifetime?"

Raquel bit her lower lip, trying to contain her reaction. She had to concentrate on the sidewalk to keep her emotions at bay. They fell into silence for a moment but neither of them hurried to fill the void. It was comfortable to just be together, walking aimlessly in the dark.

When they passed through a park, Raquel stopped on her tracks to study it. There was a vast collection of trees, a small pond and a gazebo far into the middle of the park.

She turned to him with a smile on her face and placed her hand in his, pulling him as she hurried towards the pond, letting out a giggle as she skipped over tree roots, rocks and avoided other obstacles on the way. 

When she got them to the pond, the sight was so beautiful she forgot to let go of his hand. It was late, so most of the lights from the buildings were turned off, and it made the stars in the sky shine even brighter. Their reflection on the pond was something out of a dream and if she didn't know better she wouldn't have been able to differ sky from reflection. The way the trees framed the park made it seem as if they were completely alone in the universe. She let out a small gasp, incredulous that there was a sight like that to behold. Sergio's hand tightened his grip around hers as if it were anchoring her to reality. She remembered he was there with her and she turned around to glance at him.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" She asked, her voice low and husky.

"Breathtakingly beautiful," Sergio answered, his eyes never leaving hers. She knew he wasn't talking about the landscape and smiled in return.

It was far too much for her to hold back. She slowly walked up to him, slipping her arms around his neck. He seemed somewhat startled by her approach, but it didn't stop him from embracing her by the waist as they stared into each other's eyes wordlessly.

She took one hand and let her fingers stroke his cheek gently. He let his eyelids fall shut and she could see from his expression that he resolved something inside of him that allowed himself to let go and enjoy the moment. She let her hands slide through his hair, as if she were willing to memorize how he looked and how he felt just then. She leaned in, closing her eyes and her lips slowly found it's way to his, touching so lightly at first it felt more like a goosebump.

She continued to lay the softest, lightest kisses on his lips, her fingers lost in his hair as she felt his fingers gently stroke the small of her back and her waist.

Finally, she pressed her lips against his and it was as if a jolt of electricity went through their bodies. His lips were soft and calm and gentle, just like he was. She tasted like wine, chamomile and lightening.

Their lips opened as the kiss deepened. Raquel pressed her body against his and he tightened his embrace, letting his fingers slide through her long brown hair as one hand supported the small of her back. The feeling of his hand sprawled against her back made her curl even further into him. 

It was as if they had both been in drought and found in each other the only possible way to quench their thirst.

They lost track of time and space and the only reason they broke the kiss was to recover their breaths, foreheads leaning together, and Raquel let out a small chuckle.

"What?" Sergio asked, feeling a smile swipe across his face as well.

"I think this is a good time to let you know I don't just go to random towns and kiss strangers and invite myself over to their sibling's parties," she explained, shaking her head in acknowledgement of how weird it was to feel this connected to someone she had just met.

"Oh," he said, his face suddenly turning serious and something got caught in her throat as she looked at him, concerned. "And here I was thinking this was your modus operandis."

He smiled, easing her into his tease, and she playfully smacked the palm of her hand against his chest. 

He opened his mouth to speak but she pressed her lips against his once again, interrupting any possible thought he had. She parted from him with a smile and nodded, assuring him that she understood. She felt it too. Words were useless now.

She then glanced up at the sky and let out a small, content sigh.

"Come here, I wanna lay down and watch the sky," she said, tugging at his hand as she walked to a clearer spot in the grass. 

He didn't object. In fact, that was the moment where he decided: wherever she would go, he would follow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm away from home and my internet keeps playing tricks on me, but I'm reading and loving every comment and I'll always appreciate them <3


	7. Parasite

They had spent at least two hours and a half lying on the grass, watching the stars and talking about everything imaginable. Raquel promptly questioned him about his favorite books and authors, and he nudged her to share the references for her work and she told him about the one project in the back of her mind for years, the one she actually wanted to direct herself. They talked about their families, childhood stories, he pointed out the constellations they were under and she offered her take on his zodiac sign ( _such a Capricorn_ ). Every once in a while Raquel would stir over Sergio's jacket, which they had laid on the ground to rest their heads on, rest a hand over his shoulder and chest and lean in to kiss him. He would hold her for as long as the kiss lasted and she noticed that his arm remained around her waist the entire time. It felt like a dream neither of them wanted to wake up from.

But when Raquel let out a small yawn, Sergio turned on his side to look at her.

"You're probably tired," he said and she mirrored his position to look at him in the eye. "I'll walk you back to the hotel."

She smiled and let a hand fall on his arm, softly caressing him.

"I'm starting to feel a little hungry," she confessed with a guilty smile. "Maybe we could go back to the hotel and order room service?"

His heart skipped at the offer.

"Are you sure?" He asked her, shoulders tense with the promise of where the rest of the night would take them.

Instead of replying, she planted a kiss on his lips and practically jumped on her two feet.

"Come on," she said, offering him a hand.

* * *

They walked back to the hotel, both feeling a little anxious about the change of setting, but neither of them willing to say goodbye to the other. When they walked around the corner to the hotel, Raquel turned on her heels and looked up at Sergio.

"Give me five minutes and then come up?" She muttered, eyes glinting with excitement. "Room 803."

He nodded and she continued her stroll to the hotel. Sergio followed her instructions. After waiting for five minutes that felt like centuries, he entered the hotel.

He arrived at Raquel's door with his heart nearly beating out of his chest. He raised a hand and knocked softly on it, three times.

There was a pause.

When Raquel opened the door, her face was no longer warm and inviting as it was five minutes ago. In reality, now her expression revealed something much darker and it made his face scrunch in preoccupation. She raised a hand to keep him from talking.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "It's better for you to go."

Sergio looked at her, simply confused. But when he let his eyes wander behind her, he noticed a broken table and a shattered vase on the floor.

"Raquel–" He was interrupted by another man who waltzed in from the chamber where he presumed the bed was, looking at the door.

"Raquel, who is this?" The man demanded. There was something about the tone of his voice that made Sergio boil with anger.

"Alberto, _please_ ," she pleaded, shooting him a look.

Alberto didn't flinch. He made his way toward the door and yanked it open to size up Sergio from head to toe.

"I'm sorry, do you work at the hotel or something? Why are you at my girlfriend's door?" Alberto questioned.

Sergio's head spun. _Girlfriend_?

"Okay," Raquel interrupted. "Here's an idea: how about you both leave? It's late and I'd like to rest."

"Sure," Sergio muttered, something about the fact that she didn't want to be alone with Alberto made him more at ease. Sergio was fine with leaving her alone, but there was something wrong with that man. 

Alberto only shook his head.

"We're not done talking," he said through gritted teeth. 

"She said she wants to be alone," Sergio said, anger slipping out his voice as well.

"You still haven't told me who _the hell_ are you," Alberto spat out, grabbing Sergio by the collar of his jacket and throwing him against a wall inside the room.

"Alberto, _stop_ ," Raquel tried to intervene, but he shot her a furious glare and she stopped on her tracks. It was as if her feet were glued to the floor and she cursed herself for being so weak.

"Is this your new boy toy?" He asked, letting out a laugh.

"Whatever I do with my life does not concern you," Raquel defiantly replied.

Alberto looked at her and then back at Sergio, who remained perfectly still as to not make matters worse.

"We'll see about that," Alberto muttered and shoved his fist on Sergio's chin.

Sergio fell to floor at the impact. He saw Raquel try to push Alberto away, but with one hand he was able to throw her against a small table. She hit her head on the wall, hard, and looked up at him, who had already set his glare back at Sergio, punching and kicking him in the stomach as he curled up on the floor.

Neither of them noticed when Raquel picked up the phone and called security, but in less than one minute two men in black suit strolled in and pulled Alberto away from Sergio.

"Raquel, what is this?" Alberto asked, trying to shake the men's hands off him. She was thankful that the men were twice his size and didn't even flinch at his attempt. 

"What I should have done a long time ago," she stated, eyes filled with something he had never seen before. Rage.

"What about the other one, Miss?" One of the security men asked, his head pointing to a beaten up Sergio on the floor. She shook her head in disapproval.

They nodded and dragged Alberto away as he still tried to negotiate his way out of the pull of the men. Another hotel employee stood on the corridor as they walked by, holding something in his hand.

Raquel quickly closed the door and hurried over to Sergio, crouching down next to him.

"Sergio," she softly said and he looked up at her. There was blood coming out of his mouth and the sight made her almost whimper. "Can you get up for me?"

He nodded and she supported his arms and waist to help him stand up.

"Let's get you to the bathroom, okay?" She said as she slid an arm around his waist and one of his arms over her shoulder.

They walked together to the bathroom and she sat him down on the rim of the bathtub. She picked up a first aid kit, opened it up on the kitchen sink and grabbed a towel, soaking it with water.

She turned her attention back to him, using the towel to clean the blood from his mouth and beard and to access the damage.

"It looks like an inside cut," she stated, her voice low and hollow. "May I?" She asked and he nodded silently.

She used her thumb to flicker his lower lip and noticed the inside cut. She picked up a small ball of cotton and put some calendula tincture on it.

"It's going to sting, but it will stop the bleeding, okay?" She said, as softly as she could.

He flinched when the cotton touched his cut, but he let her continue. After a moment of pressing the cotton against the cut, she removed it and inspected his lips.

"There," she gulped and let her hands go over his jacket. "Let's take this off, shall we?"

He removed his jacket with some effort and Raquel kneeled down in front of him to help unbutton his shirt. She felt the urge to cry when she saw the bruises Alberto had left on him.

She excused herself for a moment under the guise of getting some ice, but Sergio heard her muffle a cry when she walked out of the bathroom. She came back to the bathroom with a bucket of ice, her eyes swollen, and proceeded to put ice in a towel, pressing it gently against his bruises, taking her time. He didn't quite know what to say, so he settled on saying nothing for a while. There were so many questions and thoughts racing through his head.

"I'm glad you didn't hit him back," she murmured in a voice so low he almost didn't hear it.

He gulped, suddenly aware of how he longed for a glass of water.

"I don't like to indulge in violent behaviors," he replied, matter-of-factly, but something about his tone made her heart shrink.

"I can tell," she said, resting the ice towel on the sink for a moment. "It's one of the things I like about you."

Sergio felt his breath get caught.

He didn't have time to process what she had said. She kneeled down on the floor in front of him, weakened.

The last three years came back to her in a halt. Suddenly, her eyes flooded with tears. Sergio climbed down and sat on the floor next to her, pulling her in for a hug.

She hesitated until finally letting herself fall back against his bare chest, his arms around her. He said nothing, he just let her cry, and she did – until there were no more tears.

"What can I do?" He gently asked against her hair.

When she finally mustered the strength to pull away from him, she took a deep breath and finally looked into eyes.

The way he looked at her, his eyes calm and inviting, his reassuring silence, it was almost enough to make her crawl back into his arms, but she fought the urge to do so.

It took everything she had to say it.

"I can't do this. I'm sorry. I thought..." She trailed off. "But I can't. You should... You should go."

She stood up and took a step back, as if she couldn't stand to be near him.

Sergio quietly nodded. He wouldn't want to impose on her in the state she was in. He got up buttoning up his shirt and putting on his jacket, careful not to let any painful moan to escape his lips.

Raquel held her arms tight against her stomach, eyes stuck on the bathroom tiles, avoiding eye to eye contact with him.

She came out to the room with him and watched him move towards the door.

He shot one final glance at where she was as he reached for the knob, but she was no longer there.

* * *

Sergio felt defeated as he crossed the lobby. He caught a glimpse of his reflection in a mirror. He looked like hell, but at least Alberto's damage wasn't visible in his face, only in his torso. A terrible thought went through his mind just then. If Alberto had been wicked enough to hit him where no one would see, he could've done the same to Raquel. It made his stomach turn. 

He was so lost in his own mind he had barely even registered another presence until he heard a yell behind him.

"Hey, wait!" Ángel walked up to him hurriedly. "I remember you. From the press junket, right?"

"What?" Sergio asked, still distraught. It took him a moment to place where he'd known the man from. "Oh. Yeah."

"Did you... did you get a call too?" Ángel whispered.

Sergio's brow furrowed in confusion. 

"What call?" He echoed, his face scrunched at Ángel, who instantly widened his eyes. 

"Oh," Ángel chuckled. "Nevermind."

Sergio shook his head. He had no patience for whatever this was right now. He just wanted to go home and maybe sleep for the rest of his life.

"I gotta go," he grunted, offering Ángel a parting nod.

"Yeah, sure. Good night, man," Ángel said, waving him off and picking up his phone from his pocket. Very well, then. Guess it's an exclusive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this wouldn't be a romcom without some drama/angst, right?


	8. The Morning After

Sergio barely slept that night. Every time he closed his eyes he saw Raquel's face. The bruises didn't help. Whenever he tried to find a comfortable position in bed, it felt like his body burned. He eventually got up around six because Palawan complained about her empty food bowl.

He went to the kitchen, served her some food and noticed the mugs of coffee he and Raquel shared were still sitting in the sink. He felt stupid for actually believing that, even though they were from completely different worlds, there was something between them they were both willing to explore. Of course it was stupid. He barely knew her and she barely knew him. He was a nobody (what exactly could he offer her?), she was coveted for an Oscar and showed up in the cover of magazines. He sighed and washed the dishes.

He tried to occupy his mind by cleaning up the apartment, stopping several times to rest and ice his bruises.

Around noon, there was a knock on his door. He opened it to find Ágata in front of him and his eyes widened as he remembered the commitment. They were supposed to have lunch together.

" _Soooo_ , tell me everything," she giggled, entering the apartment with two take out bags in hand. "Was it great? You look like you barely slept so I take it it went great. Oh, you guys were so cute yesterday, Mónica couldn't stop gushing about it."

Sergio closed the door and watched Ágata take out food boxes from the brown bags. He debated internally wether he would keep this to himself but he desperately needed someone to talk to and going to Andrés with this issue didn't feel right. If there was anyone who'd know what to do, it was Ágata.

"It was great... until it wasn't," he admitted, going over to the kitchen to grab the plates and cutlery.

"What do you mean?" She suddenly stopped to glance at him, curious.

"We... we walked around for a while, we spent some time in that park by Andrés' house and she invited me back to the hotel," Sergio recounted.

"Oh. And...?" She squinted her eyes at him in accusation.

"Nothing," he explained, exasperated. "I came up and this guy named Alberto was there–"

"Alberto?" Ágata echoed. "As in, Alberto _Vicuña_?!"

Sergio shrugged in confusion.

"How the hell am I supposed to know?" He asked her.

Ágata growled as Sergio walked over with the dishes and cutlery, placing them on their respective seats.

"Ugh, he is a film director," she explained, continuing to set the food on the table. "They partnered together for a few films, they were in this really weird, whirlwind relationship. Like, every other month there would be rumors that they had broken up, that he was an asshole to her on set, that he was cheating on her and what-not," she finally sat down and served herself with some salad and a healthy portion of ravioli. "So what happened?"

"He was violent, that's what happened," Sergio said, sitting down in front of her. She froze, looking back at him.

"He hit her?" She asked, concerned.

"He hit me, pushed her," Sergio resumed. "She had to call security to get him out."

"Son of a _dick_ ," Ágata muttered under her breath.

She poured the rest of the salad on his plate and he took a deep breath.

"And then what?"

"Then she asked me to leave and I left," he shrugged. She paused.

"Oh, shit, man," Ágata leaned back against her chair. "I'm sorry. It looked like the two of you really hit it off..."

Sergio's forehead creased.

"Do you think I should reach out?" He asked, worried.

Ágata pondered quietly and then shook her head.

"No," she finally said. "If she asked you to leave, it's probably because she needs some alone time. If you keep circling around it could be like a bad memento of whatever this dick did to her. I know men like that and they are usually possessive freaks."

Sergio felt an anger stir up inside of him again. He looked at his friend, brow furrowed, and he just knew he had to ask.

"Ágata, has anyone ever..." He trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. She looked at him and she must have recognized the worry wrinkling his eyes.

"No, Prof," she replied, her tone cool and caring. "Not like that, no. Men have been dicks to me, yeah. But not abusive. That's why I mostly go out with women these days."

Sergio nodded. They were silent for a moment. She took a bite out of her ravioli, but he still couldn't bring himself to eat anything.

"Ágata," he called out and she looked up at him again. "Promise you'll tell me. If anyone ever does you harm... You know I'll do anything to help you, right?"

She smiled at him gently.

"I know," she added, letting out a content sigh. "Right now it would make me really happy if you ate," she winked at him.

He let out a chuckle and took a deep breath. With all the energy he could muster, he focused on his salad.

* * *

It had been a while since Raquel cried herself to sleep. When she woke up that morning, last night's events still replaying in her head, she felt as if she had stepped in moving sand. All the progress she had made for the past few months, gone. She felt like she was stuck and the sand moved beneath her feet threatening to swallow her whole. She dragged herself out of bed to take an aspirin. Her head was killing her.

She thought about Sergio, the sweet man she had met at a bookstore, like a _normal_ person would. She thought about his gentle demeanor, his awkward mannerisms, his soft lips. She thought about how Alberto had hurt him and her hands tightened into fists. She cursed Alberto mentally and took a few deep breaths to calm herself down.

She glanced over at her table and saw Hanoi's little brown bag. _Shit_. Alicia.

She rushed a shower, put on a black jumpsuit and made sure to put on enough make up to hide the hollow under her eyes.

She arrived at the ballroom Alicia had booked for her party at the hotel's lobby. Alicia saw her leave the elevator and hurried in her direction, pulling her in for a big hug.

"Where were you?" She asked in her ear.

"I'm here now," Raquel replied, hugging her tightly. "Happy birthday, sweetheart. You're the best publicist in the world and I love you."

"I know," Alicia smiled, pulling away from the hug. Raquel lifted the brown gift bag to her eye level and she squealed with excitement. "Yesss!"

She didn't waste time in opening the present.

"Oh, Raquel," she muttered, flipping through the book and raising it next to her face to smell it. "Mmmm, smells so fresh. Looks so good. Thank you!"

Raquel let out an honest chuckle as Alicia locked arms with her.

"Come on, let's get a drink," those were the magic words Raquel desperately needed to hear.

* * *

Raquel had managed to find a semi-hidden spot by the bar after she had greeted some people. She offered a waiter a very generous tip for him to keep bringing her mojitos.

She was already a little tipsy when Alicia found her. She was sure she was about to be pulled to dance _Suavemente_ but as Alicia approached her and looked around to make sure no one was close, she became slightly concerned. 

"Where is your phone?" Alicia asked in a serious tone.

"Upstairs, I left it in my room," she replied. "Why?"

Alicia let out a sharp exhale and gave her phone to Raquel.

On the internet browser, one news article was open. The title, in all caps, read: SECURITIES DETAIN ALBERTO VICUÑA AFTER HOTEL FIGHT WITH RAQUEL MURILLO.

Below the headline, there was a video playing in loop of Alberto being dragged out of her room by the two security men from last night. 

Raquel felt the ground shift under her feet again. This time, she was sure she was sinking. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for leaving such a sour note! I will try to update the next couple of days, but I can't promise anything :(
> 
> Hopefully this will feel a little like a cliffhanger but now less stressful than last chapter 😥😅


	9. Say Anything...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all your support, I love reading your comments 😍🥰
> 
> Without further ado... here's the new chapter!

Sergio didn't tell anyone other than Ágata what transpired in the hotel room and he asked her to keep it to herself. He simply told the others that after leaving Andrés' they went for a stroll, that he left her back at the hotel and that he was still waiting to hear back from her. And it was true, all that was omitted were the circumstances of the facts. 

His nerves were bad enough without everyone's commentary. His mind already did a great job at that by itself. He kept thinking about every minute of their encounters over and over again.

Her charming arrival at the bookstore, her easy-going attitude when he bumped into her on the street, how comfortable it felt to talk to her at his apartment, how it felt like heaven on earth to kiss her.

He remembered vividly all their way to Andrés', how she mingled so perfectly with his friends, their walk to the park, the hours they spent talking under the stars. Even in his memories, it all seemed too perfect to be true.

He wondered if he could've done anything different back at her room. He wondered if he should have called, if he should've said anything. He wanted to respect her space. He wanted her to feel safe that he wouldn't intrude in her life as Alberto did. He felt so lost. Just yesterday when he woke up, he thought it was another routine day. Now, a day later, he had met a famous actress, became infatuated with her and was worried that he was never going to see her again. It felt like his life was turned upside down.

He must've been creasing his forehead as he thought because Ágata sat down in front of him, two cups of coffee in her hands and a worried wrinkle in her eyes.

"Are you okay?" She asked gently.

He sighed shortly and gave her a shrug.

"No," he finally said. "I honestly don't know what to do. I never... I never felt like this."

Ágata let out a heartfelt breath.

"I know," she replied. "You met her and you felt a connection. And now you're in unsteady ground and you don't know where to go from there."

Sergio nodded silently and picked up the mug she had slid him on the table.

"Welcome to the contemporary world of dating," she offered him a kind, knowing smile and he had to let out a sad chuckle.

"I understand all your complaints now," he added and they fell into a comfortable silence.

A phone vibrated on the table top and Ágata looked at the screen, curious. She frowned and picked it up, avidly reading something.

"Sergio," she called out, eyes still glued to the mobile screen. "You need to see this," she said, raising his phone for him to read.

He took the phone from her hand and inspected it closely. His breath hitched. A video of Alberto being dragged out of Raquel's hotel room played on loop.

He read the entire article in a daze. This was all over the news?

He scrolled down the page and found the comments below. His chin dropped in utter shock of what people were capable to say behind virtual anonymity. He put the phone on the table and slid it back to Ágata, who shook her head at him knowingly. 

"I honestly can't imagine how she feels right now," she confessed. "You should reach out."

"I thought you told me to leave her alone," Sergio said, deeply wishing that everyone else would. 

"Well, Prof, the situation is a lot different now," she recoiled.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

Ágata smiled at him with such determination that he felt strangely energized by her confidence. She simply questioned:

"Do you trust me?"

* * *

"Is there any salvation from this?" Raquel asked Alicia.

They had grouped in Raquel's suite to strategize how to deal with this situation. On the table, there was a kettle of coffee and the rest of the sandwiches they shared. Raquel laid belly up on the bed, staring aimlessly at the ceiling, as Alicia bit the bottom of her pen, staring at her computer screen.

"I'm sorry this ruined your party," Raquel mumbled for the eleventh time.

"Raquel, _stop_. We drank, we danced, we ate. It's okay, we'll handle this, just let me think," Alicia rolled her eyes, trying to concentrate.

Raquel groaned, frustrated. She hated that Alberto still had the power, that he was still able to turn her life upside down. 

"Hear me out," Alicia began and from her tone Raquel understood that she needed to sit for this. "I can get a HuffPost video interview with that journalist we like."

"No," Raquel shook her head.

"She's an activist, she came forward with her own Me Too story, she'll sink her teeth into this and we can smother this motherfu–"

"Alicia. I'm going to become the victim in _his_ story," she interrupted.

"What if another woman becomes his victim? What if there already _are_ other victims?" Alicia countered. "It's not his story, Raquel. It's yours. And if you want it to remain that way, you gotta be the one to tell it."

Raquel bit her lower lip as she considered her options. She knew Alicia was right – what if there were other women? In the past or down the line in the future? At the same time, if she pursued this, there was no turning back. She could be outcast by several of his director and producer friends... but who was she kidding? It's not like they were giving her roles anyway. This way, she could get a restraining order. She could control her narrative. She could finally fight back.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. 

She got off the bed, opened the door and found a hotel employee standing there.

"Excuse me, Ms. Murillo?" He said, a package in hand. "This just arrived for you."

"Thank you," she said, taking the package from his hand and absent-mindedly offering him a tip. She closed the door behind her and climbed on the bed, opening the package.

"What's that?" Alicia asked, raising her eyes from the computer screen.

Raquel didn't listen. She opened the package to find a red wine bottle. A really nice one at that. She picked up a small card and let out a small, shaky breath as she read the content.

_Hoping this wine can make your day better._

_If there's anything I can do, let me know._

_Sergio_

Underneath his signature, he added his phone number. Raquel felt her lips curve into a smile. This was his way of holding space for her. Of letting her know that he was there. She was worried that after yesterday he would decide she was too much – too much baggage, too much trouble, too much to handle. She felt a tug in her heart as she remembered the state he had left her room. If it had not been for him, maybe she wouldn't have called security. Maybe she wouldn't be considering blowing up years of network to tell her story to the press. Maybe she wouldn't have this new found confidence in her own film project.

The more she thought about it, the more it became clear that she had to move forward.

"Ali?" Raquel called out, a new energy surging in her voice. 

Alicia looked up, seemingly noticing the change. She looked at Raquel's face, she could tell she was calculating the odds, the strategies, the possible outcomes. She always admired her abilities to observe and access the different sides and variables of a situation — and to be honest it always made a lot of her work as her publicist much easier. She watched as Raquel bit the inside of her lips and she could tell the moment she resolved the course of action in her head. 

"Schedule the interview," she said, her head nodding slowly. "As soon as possible."

She was angry. No, scratch that – she was _pissed_. The bastard spent three years messing with her head. She had every right to do this. She remembered every bruise, every scar, every broken bone. She remembered his demeaning behavior towards her on set. She remembered the lies, the cheating, the gaslighting, the manipulation.

Now there was a change to rightfully expose Alberto for the scum he was and finally get him away from her once and for all. If it meant burning a few bridges on the way... Let it be those people who knew about his abusive actions and patterns and enabled him. Those who covered it up or treated it with normalcy. That told him he could do whatever he wanted because he was a genius. Fuck them.

Maybe it's time to start fresh and get out of the mainstream circuit and just do the things that give her pleasure and make her happy. To finally take that step back and work on her script. To spend more time with her mother. To travel simply for leisure. To have a normal sleeping schedule. To have the time to cook. To kiss Sergio.

She tried to suppress the smile that graced her lips when she remembered his arms around her, his soft embrace, the ease she felt when they were together. She _tried_ not to smile, but the feeling she had when he was around – that was real. And that made her happy. 

Now she wanted to deal with Alberto as soon as possible. She wanted to move on to next, better, nicer things. Herself. Her family. Her film. Sergio.

She remembered Sergio's soft chuckle, the dimples that formed in his cheeks when he smiled, the way he nudged his glasses up his nose with a knuckle. She let out a small sigh.

Maybe there was salvation after all.


	10. You Must Be Out of Your Mind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next three or so chapters are a little shorter and I'm sorry for them in advance (they're a little angsty lol) but it's all part of it, right? 😬😅

Alicia was a damn good publicist.

She managed to schedule an interview with Silene Oliveira for the very next day. They were lucky enough that she lived an hour away and couldn't be more excited to have Raquel's exclusive.

A team had set up a suite in the hotel with a couple chairs, snacks and beverages. Silene arrived with a videomaker, a microphonist and producer on the dot. She asked everyone to set up the equipments and headed for the balcony, where Raquel watched the life outside distractingly.

"Mind if I join you?" Silene asked, a cigarette in hand.

Raquel simply shook her head and Silene lit up her cigarette, joining the woman in observing the sights of the city.

"It's normal to be nervous," Silene shared. "I was shitting my pants when I published my own story."

Raquel let out an exasperated sigh.

"Any tips?"

Silene let out a cloud of smoke as she looked at Raquel thoughtfully.

"Tell the truth," she bluntly offered. "Use details but don't underplay emotion. People want to see strength and vulnerability."

"He has some really powerful people behind him," Raquel countered, worried. "He could make all of this go away."

"If he did, he has the worst PR team ever," she smiled.

Raquel let out a sad chuckle. 

"You're an actress," she finally said. "Use it. Let people see the pain he caused you. You want the public opinion on your side? You have to use all the cards you have in your hand because he will."

Silene put out the cigarette in her hand and squeezed Raquel's shoulder before entering the suite.

Raquel tried to steady her breathing and regain her posture to go back in.

It's showtime.

* * *

Despite her nerves, Raquel gradually felt more at ease. It helped that Silene's questions and guidance were not intrusive, but rather illuminating. She gave her the room to breathe, talk, pause, cry. She didn't force anything out of her. Raquel told her everything. From their first meeting, over a decade ago, when they started working together to how he pursued a relationship with her three years ago. She told details of happenings the press had printed as gossip, from her side of the story. How abusive he was as a director and as a romantic partner. How he stole her ideas and never gave her credit. How he pushed her towards the edge in numerous sets, forcing her to play difficult and dangerous scenes over and over. How he hit her repeatedly over the course of their relationships. How he still pursued her even after she ended things with him. She recounted the hotel incident, without mentioning Sergio's presence. He didn't deserve to be dragged into this mess.

When they finished the interview, Raquel had tears streaming down her face. Silene hugged her tightly and told her how well she had gone. Raquel felt weirdly proud that she was able to face her demons and come through with her truth.

It felt like the dawn of a new life. Even if Alberto chose to difame her, even if no one believed her. She spoke out and, for her, that was enough. She handed Silene an envelope as her team were packing the equipment.

"What's this?" Silene asked, opening the envelope and peaking inside.

"Records of everything I told you," Raquel said. "Emails, texts, medical records, photos. Everything you need to expose the fucker."

Silene smiled devilishly.

"I like you, Raquel," she offered. "I'll do my best in this story, I promise."

"Thank you," Raquel replied. "Oh. You should... you should look into other names. I'm not his first, I'm sure of that."

Silene nodded silently. She gave her one last hug and waved to Alicia on her way out.

As the room emptied, Raquel felt the weight of a thousand pillars being lifted from her shoulders. She knew the interview would be out in a couple of days and she felt like she needed to talk to Sergio before he saw it for himself. She wanted to be the one to tell him. She wanted to look him in the eye as she did so. She wanted to apologize.

She looked up at Alicia, who talked on the phone with her back turned.

She picked up her phone and disabled the airplane mode. Instantly, several notifications of texts and calls came through. All of them from her sister.

"Raquel," Alicia called out, a strain in her voice.

"What's wrong?" Raquel asked, her heart skipping a beat.

"It was your sister. Your mom is in the hospital."


	11. Gone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all: thank you so much for all of your comments and kudos and support <3  
> Especially regarding Raquel's story - having been through an abusive relationship I can relate to how hard it is to grasp and talk about the abuse, be it psychological or physical. I'm sad it still happens to so many women but I'm glad so many of you think I made it justice :)
> 
> This and the next two chapters are written more closely from Sergio's POV (especially since the movie is closer to the male protagonist), but we'll get back to Raquel really soon, promise!

Sergio tried really hard not to think about Raquel. He really did.

But it was hard when the press and the people were talking non-stop about her and Alberto. Everyone and their mother had an opinion on what had happened between them and Sergio chose to tune out whenever it was a topic of conversation.

He couldn't help but think of her though and he had to admit that, at night, when he was home alone with Palawan, he watched all of the films she starred in. He was pleased (but not surprised) to find that she was a spectacular actress and that the films she was in, even the ones directed by the scumbag that was Vicuña, were good. And he wondered what she would be able to do if she had the creative control over her project. She would certainly be incredible. He was sure of that.

It had been two days since he had sent Raquel that bottle of wine. He had hoped she would reach out in her own time but the wait was unbearable.

And he began to observe how this was affecting him so much. He thought about her during every waking moment and he dreamt of her during the night. He read books imagining her voice in his head. He barely remembered to eat.

As he drank a cup of coffee, sitting in his living room, he cursed himself for every letter he wrote on that card. It was too presumptuous, too neat, too needy. It was every negative adjective he could imagine.

He was interrupted by his phone vibrating in his pocket and pulled it out to see Andrés' name and photo blinking on the screen. He knew his brother would sense from his voice that something was off. And what if Ágata told him? He took a deep breath and decided to rip out the band-aid at once.

"Hey, Andrés," he spoke into the phone and instantly regretted his overeager greeting. So far, so good, he rolled his eyes.

"Sergio," his brother countered, his tone polished and calm. "How are you?"

"Good, I'm good," he replied, his finger circling the cup of coffee three times clockwise. "How about you?"

"I'm great, actually," Andrés responded. "But it's come to my attention that your date's ex was dragged out of her hotel room last Friday night. Weird coincidence, huh?"

Sergio gulped.

"What do you mean?" He asked, feeling a lump in his throat. 

"It's just... odd. Don't you think? You bring her here, you go for a stroll, then walk her to the hotel... you didn't see any of this? I'm sure it was quite a commotion," Andrés attempted.

"I-I had already left," he lied.

"Sergio," his brother said, firmer this time. "I'm not dense. You were there, weren't you?"

Sergio didn't say anything. In honesty, he hoped he didn't have to. Lying to his brother was impossible. 

"Listen, I don't care whatever people are saying. I just want to know how you're hanging," Andrés finally said.

"Tell him I always hated that smug face, my intuition never lies," Sergio heard Martín mutter to Andrés on the other line.

"I'm... I don't know," Sergio simply said and he wondered if his voice reeked of despair.

"Hermanito..." He could imagine Andrés shaking his head at home. "If you care about her, you'll find a way."

Sergio sat down in his chair. He wished he didn't have to think of it but the question was in the back of his mind.

"What if she doesn't care about me? In the same way?"

He heard Andrés' light chuckle.

"Are we still talking about the woman you brought here on Friday?" Andrés inquired rhetorically. "Because I'm not blind – if we were cartoons she would have heart eyes whenever she looked at you."

It was Sergio's turn to chuckle, his lungs filling with air he didn't even know he was holding back from. He was not crazy. There was something there.

"Thank you, Andrés," he wholeheartedly said.

"Anytime," he replied. "Hopefully next time you'll tell me too and not just Ágata."

Of course. He smiled as he hung up, a new found hope glistening in his eyes.

* * *

When Sergio arrived at the bookstore that morning, he noticed Mónica had sent him a link to an interview with Raquel, where she talked about the abusive relationship she had been through with Alberto. He tried to restrain from seeing it, but he couldn't help it.

He watched it thoroughly, devouring every word she said and admiring her strength and courage.

He felt inspired to be brave himself. 

He picked up the phone and called the hotel she was in.

"Good evening, Ritz Hotel, how can I help you?" A female voice offered. 

"Hi," he said, hesitantly, to the receptionist. "I'm looking for Raquel Murillo. Could you connect me to her room? 801."

"Hold on for a moment, please," she said and Sergio felt his chest tighten.

What would he say to her?

What would she say to him?

His doubts came to a close when the receptionist returned to the phone. 

"I'm sorry, Ms. Murillo has checked out, is there anything else I can help you with?"

"No, thanks," he hurriedly spoke into the phone. 

He hung up instantly and his eyes glazed over the store. It was too late. She had already left.

Just like that, she was gone.


	12. Go Your Own Way

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short little chapter but that will speed things along, promise :)

Sergio kept thinking about her.

It had been almost a week since her interview and she had not reached out to him. Maybe that was it, then.

He had no way of reaching her – they exchanged no phone numbers, no emails, nothing. He didn't have any social media and doubted she would ever see his message among the hundreds of fans that messaged her daily.

Today he was especially nervous. Ricardo distracted him from time to time, however, his mind always led him back to her. 

When the mailman arrived, around 4pm, and handed him a package, he was confused. Turning it over to find her name written as the sender nearly made him tachycardic.

He excused himself to the storage room, away from Ricardo, to open it in private.

He ripped open the paper and, as he opened the box, he let out a small sigh.

The white shirt he had borrowed Raquel sat in the box, neatly folded, almost as if no one had ever worn it.

He didn't quite know what to make of it, but it had to be a message. He roughly translated it to something among the lines of: thanks, but that's it.

He must have gotten it all wrong. He was just a detour on her way. Just an awkward man who spilt his drink on her and borrowed her a shirt. Just one of the many men she could choose from.

He never felt like that before. His breath hitched, his stomach turned, he felt truly sick.

He couldn't stand to see that white fabric so he closed the box and put it away in the storage.

Maybe the best thing he could do, for both of them, was forget this ever happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't hate on me or Raquel yet hahah


	13. Thunder

Fourteen days, eight hours and twenty three minutes. 

That's how long it had been since Sergio had last seen her.

Not that he was counting, but if he had been, he was positive it would amount to that. He let out a loud exhale and decided to put on some music. It was a rainy night and being alone with his thoughts didn't sound like the best course of action.

When the first notes of jazz began to play through the speakers and Sam Cooke's voice engulfed him, he felt like the volume of his own thoughts slowly decreased. In relief, he picked up a bottle of wine and served himself a glass.

Unfortunately, everything reminded him of her. The jazz, the wine, his living room.

He looked at his phone absent-mindedly but noticed a text message from Ágata.

8:44 PM <<I'm stuck in the gallery because of the thunderstorm 😡😡😡>>

8:44 PM <<can I sleep over if all my lyfts fail?>>

Sergio softly smiled. Ágata lived very far away from the gallery she had been in working in, but it was conveniently located next to the bookstore and Sergio's apartment. She always used that in her favor whenever she wanted company for lunch or a place to sleepover on the night of an opening. He had to admit he felt more comfortable with the idea of not being alone that night.

8:46 PM <<Sure thing.>>

Ágata replied instantly.

8:46 PM <<😍☔⚡☔⚡🚤>>

He looked out the window and it was hard to see anything with the intensity of the water pouring against the glass. A loud thunder roared over Sam Cooke's voice and a lightening followed soon after.

He enjoyed rainy weather before, but now it was just like an added layer of his tortured heartbreak.

He picked up his computer and sat on the living room, sipping from the glass of wine as he made himself comfortable on the couch. If he was going to agonize as he waited for Ágata, he might as well try to write some more of his novel.

He tried to concentrate as he studied his story outline once again. He had been trying to add some romance, as Raquel had suggested, but it was proving to be especially difficult to write about romance when you had barely lived one.

The minutes dragged as he tried to focus, a blank page staring back at him.

It took him twenty minutes to actually write one sentence and when he did, there was a loud noise and suddenly, he was drowned in darkness. The jazzy sound of Cooke's voice had vanished and the only lights illuminating the apartment were the computer screen and the lightenings striking outside. 

"Fuck," he muttered, getting up from the couch and using the computer screen to illuminate the way towards the kitchen.

He managed to find a pack of candles and lit them, scattering them all over the living room and kitchen. It made for some moody atmosphere and he closed the computer, suddenly devastated by the loneliness of it all.

He sat quietly for a few minutes and just when he thought his anxiety would get the best of him, he heard a knock on the door.

He hurried to open it, relieved. Poor Ágata must've gone through the worse to get here.

But when the door swung open, his eyes widened in shock.

Instead of Ágata, it was Raquel who stood before him. She was drenched, her wet hair glued to her face, her clothes dripping on his door mat. And still, she was breathtakingly beautiful. They looked at each other in complete silence for a moment and Sergio nearly forgot to breath.

She searched his face, trying to understand what his expression meant. Finding no answer, she simply asked:

"May I come in?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love the "randomly appears in your doorstep during pouring rain" trope, so I had to use it hahaha.
> 
> Next chapter will be much longer, hang on tight!


	14. Lightening

"May I come in?" Her voice echoed in the hallway as he simply stared at her.

She bit her bottom lip in anguish. He looked like he saw a ghost and yet it warmed her heart to finally see him again. He looked just like she remembered in the back of her mind – his thick-rimmed glass frames, his gentle brown eyes, the beard framing his face as if he were attempting to hide himself behind it. It took her a moment to notice he was wearing a matching blue long-sleeved bottom-up shirt and pants as his pajamas and the dawning of her realization only made her find him all the more endearing.

She began to wonder if he had actually heard her or if she had actually spoken the words aloud. Maybe she hadn't said anything at all and they were just staring at each other in complete silence. Her lips parted but no words followed. Her throat felt hollow, as if no spoken word would suffice everything she wanted to tell him.

 _Is this real?_ He thought to himself as he looked at her. His eyes studied her face and he noticed her lips trembling. If she were a figment of his imagination, she would not be shivering, would she? He realized she must have been freezing and without hesitating, he moved away from the door, motioning inside, and she entered the living room.

He closed the door behind them and looked at her, who carefully placed a small bag and her purse on the floor. She slowly took off her coat and, without much thought, he took it from her hand, setting it aside on the top of the dryer, behind the kitchen counter.

She secretly hoped he would say something – _anything_ – to take her out of her misery. She _needed_ him to say something, to look her in the eye, to acknowledge her presence other than his intrinsically gentleness towards her. Nevertheless, needing was not getting and she knew she deserved the silent treatment. She had come into his life like a hurricane and left leaving everything torn up. Why should she expect anything different? The fact he was still so courteous to her was a testimony to his character, to his innate goodness. She was sure he didn't recognize it, but she did. She had been through enough failed relationships and had met enough men in the entertainment industry to understand that people – especially _men_ – like him were like needle in the hay.

Without saying a word, he walked towards the closet and picked a towel, making his way back and offering it to her. She gratefully draped it around her shoulders and glanced up at him.

When their eyes met, she saw him freeze. She immediately recognized it, because she used to freeze on her feet all the time Alberto looked at her differently. She felt sick. She hated the fact she made him feel an inch uncomfortable, nervous, sad. The silence between them was charged and Sergio didn't know what to make of it. She wanted to fill the silence somehow, she wanted to say the right words, she wanted to show him an armor wasn't necessary. He saw the moment her lips parted but he was so afraid of what she would have to say, he just wanted to buy himself some time.

"You should get out of these clothes," he interrupted before she could even say anything. Then, as she suppressed a smile, he gave another thought to the words that came out of his mouth. "I meant... You could get sick. You can take a shower, if you'd like. There's no warm water but..."

"Okay," she said, nodding respectfully. She understood that coming by unannounced could make him nervous and she was honestly glad that she would get out of these clothes. She wanted to be dry, clean and hopefully seated for this conversation.

He stood there in silence as she took off her shoes, picked up a change of clothes from her bag and walked into his bedroom, using her phone as a flashlight.

He was left alone in the living room once again and questions instantly flooded his head.

What did this mean? Why was she here?

She had a bag with her, did this mean she came back to town? What for? For how long?

He took the glass of wine from the table and drank it in one large gulp. He put down the glass again and his phone buzzed beside it.

_Ágata._

9:18 PM <<got a ride home!! 🎉🎉🎉>>

Well, that was it then. It was just him and Raquel. In his apartment. During a thunderstorm black out.

He sank on the couch and let his face fall into his hands for a moment. He had dreamt of this moment ever since he left her hotel room. He'd fantasize every day of her walking into his bookstore once again. He'd wake up in the middle of the night thinking about her and then he would proceed to the memories that he had engraved in his mind. The softness of her lips, her taste, her scent, her smile, her voice. And now that she was here, now she was _really_ , _physically_ here, he didn't know what to make of it.

He remembered what Ágata had said to him the morning after their night out. What Raquel needed was space and he had given it to her. Maybe now that she had had it... _No_ , he categorically denied himself to complete that sentence. He was no longer imagining possible scenarios in his head. She was _there_. She would have to be the one to tell him, in her own words, what she wanted, what she needed. 

He gathered his strength, steadied his posture and breathed in and out rhythmically. He made a mental note to thank Mónica later for taking him to that yoga class in the park. It really did help him climb out of the precipice of his panic attacks. He looked around to find whatever he could touch. The couch. The glass. The table. The laptop. The papers.

He felt his breathing come back to normal, the dizziness slowly fading, the sickness in his stomach dying out. He pulled himself together and cleaned up the notes from his novel that he had scattered on the table, putting them aside. He had just gotten the bottle of wine from the kitchen when she emerged from the bedroom, her hair still damp from the shower, wearing a black dress that seemed equal parts elegant and comfortable, and holding all of her wet clothes in her hand, along with her phone.

"Where should I...?" She asked, raising her drenched belongings in question.

"The dryer," he said, shaking his head as he tried to forget how good she looked in that dress, in the candlelight, in his living room.

She nodded and walked past him to place her clothes there. Then, she rested her phone on the kitchen top and glanced at him and the bottle in his hand. He saw the sparkle in her eyes as she looked up at him, hopeful to ease the tension between them.

"Mind if I have some of that?" She tilted her head, attempting a small smile.

"Sure," he muttered, adjusting his glasses on his nose. "The glass is on the..."

"Cabinet over the sink," she completed and his brows furrowed. "Along with the mugs. I remember."

Sergio's breath caught as she opened the cabinet and picked up a glass for herself, the realization that she didn't forget him or the day they met finally sinking in. She turned around, glass in hand, and sighed.

"Can we seat?" She questioned and he nodded quietly.

They walked towards the couch and Raquel felt as if she were walking on eggshells, one sudden move and it would all collapse underneath her. She remembered being in similar, yet entirely different situations. She remembered fighting with former boyfriends – Alberto in particular – about things she had done or didn't do, or things that she said or didn't say. She had to remind herself that she wasn't with any of those men now. She knew it in her bones. This was different because _Sergio_ was different. He was kinder, gentler, softer. He was patient. He was _good_. He wouldn't hurt her. She attempted to remind of what she had told herself on her way over to his house: they wouldn't fight. They wouldn't engage in a yelling match. They wouldn't throw things, they wouldn't _break_ things, they wouldn't hurt each other. It would be different. Sergio was a grown man, one whose feelings she had probably hurt, but one thing he was not: a man child with a bruised ego. Whatever they had to discuss with each other, they would do so as adults. 

She tried to steady her breath as they sat and Sergio poured wine in their glasses.

"I don't know if should explain or apologize first," Raquel finally said, making Sergio blush as he looked at her.

He cleared his throat, nervous.

"What would you prefer?" He genuinely asked and Raquel couldn't help but smile at his gentleness.

_This_. This was what she was talking about. This was why she shouldn't be afraid.

Her smile faded as she looked down, searching for the right words. She let out a loud exhale before letting her eyes fall back on him.

"Um, I... I'm just gonna say it all at once, okay?" She said, taking a large gulp of her wine and resting it on the table beside his glass. "I'm so, _so_ sorry. I'm sure that, by now, you've seen or heard something about my relationship with Alberto. I honestly didn't know he would be at the hotel that night. I don't know how he even got into my room, but I wouldn't put it past him to _bribe_. I didn't want to drag you into my mess. I was devastated that he hurt you. Truly," she reached out and placed a hand over his. The warmth of her touch nearly sent a shiver down his spine. "And I know it doesn't justify the way I asked you to leave but... I thought I was over everything that happened between me and Alberto. That night... All the painful memories just became so fresh. It was almost as if there was just a band aid covering up a deep, infected wound and that night just ripped it open," she could feel the tears forming in the corner of her eyes.

She took a deep breath before continuing. She didn't want to cry. She didn't want to give Alberto the satisfaction of her tears once again. She fought as hard as she could.

She had to look down to restrain the tears from falling.

"I could feel everything all over again," she continued. "The bruises, the broken bones, the shattered self-esteem... The overwhelming feeling that I was too much, that I deserved that. He made me think, for years, that I didn't deserve happiness and it was so easy for him to make me feel like that again... It would have been selfish to have you stay with me that night," she confessed. "And you don't deserve that. I needed some closure with him or it would just keep bleeding over every good thing I have."

She cleaned the tears in her eyes before they ever fell down her cheeks and all the hurt he was holding onto for how things had gone between them disappeared. She was baring her soul to him, how could he not? His eyes softened, his jaw unhinged, his shoulders relaxed.

Then, something clicked in his mind. Did he understand this correctly? Was he a good thing in this scenario?

"Raquel, I'm so sorry for what you've been through," he said, placing his free hand over hers and she closed her eyes at his touch. "I can't say I understand your pain and I can't... wrap my head around how or _why_ he would do this to you. Why _anyone_ would do it to anyone else. You don't need to explain-"

"I do," she interrupted him, her voice soft and careful. She opened her eyes to stare him with intent. "I do because the truth is... I felt such a connection to you, Sergio, I _wanted_ to see you again," she assured him and his heart sank. He wasn't crazy, he wasn't stupid, he wasn't imagining things. She had felt it too.

"After the interview, it was like a weight was lifted off of me," she recounted. "I swear to you I picked up the phone to give you a call but... I guess life had other plans." She shrugged as she shifted in the couch, retracting her hand from his and tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "My mom had a really bad fall at home," she continued. "We thought she hit her head because she couldn't remember stuff but... After some exams, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's."

She paused for a moment and Sergio could feel the pain dripping through her expression.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I truly am," he added and she nodded thoughtfully.

"It was a lot. My sister and I had to make some adjustments. It took a few days to get everything in order. We had to make some adjustments to her living arrangements, work out a schedule to check in on her... And when I finally worked things out, I was sure you hated me for ghosting you," she rolled her eyes.

"Ghosting me?" Sergio repeated, confused. She gave him a light chuckle and the sight and sound of her smiling nearly made him smile himself.

"Yeah. Vanishing without a trace," she explained and paused, a ludicrous expression in her face. "And what followed was certifiably the most romcom thing ever but... I couldn't find your phone number. The card that came with your wine? In the turmoil of going to see my mom, I must have lost it and... you're not the easiest man to find. No social media, no public records, _nada_. All I knew was that you worked at Hanoi and that this was your apartment."

Sergio wanted to laugh. All this time he thought he was imagining things. The fact that she wanted to reach out to him made his heart beat a thousand times faster. He hesitated in speaking up, but she had just shared the most intimate parts of her life with him. It was common courtesy to be honest with her.

"When you sent me back my shirt, I thought..." He trailed off, trying to find the right words. "I thought you wanted to be left alone."

There was small pause. She crooked her head at him.

"Sent you your shirt back?" Raquel repeated in a confused tone, a frown framing her eyes.

"The... the package," he stuttered.

"Sergio," Raquel scooted closer to him on the couch to look him in the eye. "I didn't send you your shirt back. I... I sent you a new one. I left you a note."

"What note?" His head spun. He didn't remember any note.

"The note under the shirt. In the back of the box," she clarified. "You didn't see it?"

"N-no," he answered and he felt utterly, completely stupid. Why didn't he think of looking for a note? Why did he instantly assume the worst?

"Sergio, I... I sent you a new shirt and a note with my phone number, so that maybe... we would have a way to get in touch," she said, the corner of her lips curving up as she suppressed a smile. "I'm sorry, it was silly, I was trying to be whimsical and romantic but I guess it backfired," she smiled, obviously finding their miscommunication amusing.

He simply stared back at her and his head began to shake sideways. He avoided her gaze, looking down at the fabric of the couch. She was trying to be _whimsical_ and _romantic?_ And he had just shoved the package away in his storage room.

"I..." She began, her eyes quickly rolling in embarrassment. "I still have your shirt. It was the only thing I had of you and I wanted to feel close to you, somehow," she gulped, glancing into his eyes.

"I'm an idiot," he finally muttered and she couldn't resist the urge to laugh. "I truly am, I thought-"

"Sergio?" She cut him off and his eyes darted back at her, eager and sorrowful. " _Hush_."

She lifted herself off the couch, kneeling in the space between them and slowly leaned in, her nose softly brushing against his. She closed her eyes as their lips met, blood boiling under all the points their bodies touched, one hand finding a place on the back of his neck, the other sprawling on his broad back through the fabric of his shirt. Sergio swiftly parted her lips with his, running his tongue inside her mouth as his right hand cupped the back of her head, fingers intertwined with her loose hair.

There was something about the kiss – it’s urgency, it’s unparalleled familiarity. Neither of them could believe they were in each other's arms again after so long, after so much. There was an unnamed feeling for this, there had to be. This feeling of belonging, of righteousness, of desire.

Whatever the name of it was, one thing was certain: neither of them was ready to let go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reunited at last! Hopefully it was worth the angsty wait ;)


	15. Closer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! Good news first: I managed to finish this massive, hopefully awaited chapter!
> 
> A bit of bad news, though: my vacation ended and work has been grilling my ass off, haha. I'll try my best to update the next chapter soon, but I thought I should let you know it might take a little while, so that's why I wanted to leave you with a happy... uh... climax lol
> 
> In the meantime, I would love to hear your thoughts on the story, the characters, what are your hopes and predictions now that these two are together. 
> 
> Since I'm still working on the last few chapters, that are already outlined but there is still so much to fill, maybe I can add some of your ideas to the mix? :)

It was as if nothing else existed.

Sergio was not a man who was used to live his life focused on the present tense, but he had a hard time thinking of anything else while Raquel kissed him. When she pulled away to catch her breath, he nearly whimpered and she laughed, her forehead rested against his as she regained her balance.

"I like your pajamas," she said and his cheeks burned red.

He opened his mouth to reply, but she pulled up the skirt of her dress and straddled him, sitting on his lap, and he forgot the entire dictionary as she placed her arms around his neck.

" _Really_ ," she smiled, planting a kiss on his auburn cheek to show him she meant it. He let his hands circle her waist and looked up at her. How on Earth did he get this lucky?

"If someone had told me this morning my night would end like this, I would have called them crazy," Sergio whispered, his thumbs stroking her waist through the fabric of her dress.

"Who said the night has ended?" Raquel smiled at him, mischief riddled all over her gaze, and he only gulped in response as she removed his glasses and leaned in to place another kiss on his lips. This kiss was less urgent, but equal in it's fervor and desire.

For the first time in what felt like years, Raquel longed for another kind of touch. She missed something she didn't even think she would be able to miss after everything she had been through. But the way Sergio touched her and looked at her? It made her stomach twirl and her heart beat so fast she'd forget to breath in. If there was anything to wanted to attach herself to in this moment, it was to him.

He let his fingers gently roam over the bare skin of her arms, ever so slightly, as she kissed him deeply, her fingers buried in his hair. He then guided his hands, sliding them lightly over her silhouette, her waist, until they reached her bare legs. His fingertips started tracing lines on her thighs, so gently and softly that she feared she would become undone if his palm actually pressed against her skin.

He moved closer and leaned in as his fingers stroke her back, following down her spine. He broke away from the kiss to press his lips against her skin, just below her jawline. It was so subtle and so powerful she felt every follicle in her body shiver. She closed her eyes, letting out a small moan and he pulled back a few inches just to see the look on her face. The sight of her pleasuring herself from his touch was something he wanted to hold on dearly. Leaning in again, he planted kisses on her neck and ear. Raquel brought one of her hands across his shoulders, the other caressing the back of his head.

She brought her face next to his and they locked eyes once again. Their lips were inches away from touching but it was as if they were frozen in time. Slowly, he closed his eyes and the distance between them and when their lips met, Raquel swore she saw the candle lights flicker. Their lips parted open and when their tongues collided, a shock of pleasure ran through her body like a fuse had been turned on. She shifted her body on the bed, pressing herself against his chest.

With his hands sprawled against her lower back, he pulled her closer to him. She wanted to close the distance between them, hoping they would amount to nothing but a pair of limbs intertwined in panting excitement. 

She could feel him hardening under his pants and herself getting wet. With one hand firmly across her back, Sergio took the other under her dress and his thumb began to strike the line that parts her outer lips over the fabric of her underwear. She let out a moan into his mouth as they kissed and when his stroke grew more firm, she arched her back on top of him, her neck craned and her long hair loose behind her.

Sergio bit his lower lip as he moved her underwear sideways with his fingers. His thumb started stroking her clit. He varied in pressure, direction, speed, his attention synced to her breaths and moans. When he began striking small circles around it, amping up the speed.

"Don’t stop," she mumbled in a plea as she arched her neck.

He continued as his middle finger pressed against her lips until it entered her. She let out a loud moan and brought her forehead against his to look at him.

Slowly, he drove his finger in and out as his thumb pressed against her clit at a steady pace. He wanted to memorize the look on her face, the way she looked at him, the way she was almost coming undone on top of him. He could feel her waist begin to slowly thrust against his hand as she exhaled against his lips. When he inserted another finger inside her, she sunk her fingernails against his back and it was his turn to moan in pleasure.

In a heartbeat, he rolled her over with her back against the couch. She wasted no time in raising her hands to unbutton his shirt while she looked at him, eyes filled with unparalleled hunger for his touch. He threw the shirt in a puddle somewhere in the floor and pressed his body against her once again, his lips against hers in movements so fluid yet so passionate that she was only able to focus on how his mouth felt and tasted.

She sighed in surprise when he broke the kiss but instantly placed his lips against the spot under her earlobe, placing soft kisses through out her neck and collarbone, his fingers playing with the straps of her dress. She continued to take deep breaths as he pulled up her night gown and moved down, placing his lips against the inside of her thighs.

He took the fingertips of his left hand to caress the longitude of her leg while moving his lips dangerously close to her center. When he finally moved his tongue through the line dividing her lips over the fabric of her underwear, she reached for his hand and grabbed it.

" _Yes_ ," she moaned, closing her eyes to give into the moment.

He leaned back to take a look at her and pulled down her underwear. She felt feverish as he took the tip of his tongue from the bottom of her lips to her clit, gently rolling it around her swollen tip. She hummed and, with that, he began to suck her clit, swirling his tongue around it as her moans grew louder.

With the tip of his finger, he played around her entrance and she began to move her waist under his touch. Sergio smiled and inserted his finger inside her.

“ _Mhm_ ,” she mumbled, her hand suddenly against the back of his head pulling him towards her. He continued to tend to her center while inserting another finger inside her, thrusting his hand, slowly, in and out.

Using her right foot, she pushed his shoulder to give her room to take off her dress. She threw it over her head and used her elbows to prop her up on the couch. She pulled him up and closed the distance between them in a kiss, her taste on his lips, with his fingers still thrusting inside her, her blood boiling like lava.

When Sergio twisted his fingers in a certain way, she broke away the kiss, letting her head fall as she moaned and he resumed his attention to her pleasure. He brought his lips and tongue back to her clit and she felt her breath hitch.

" _There_ ," she panted, her voice shaky, her limbs trembling. He continued exactly what he was doing, at the same speed, until her back arched and she let out a loud, exasperated moan. With her closed eyelids, she let the climax travel through her body.

He kept his lips and tongue in place as he carefully removed his fingers from inside her, focused on letting her ride the wave for as long as she needed. Raquel felt her toes curl, her legs tremble, her entire core shake and it seemed endless as he still had his mouth against her center.

It took all of the concentration she could muster to place a hand on the back of his head, slightly pulling at his hair to pull him up towards her. He obliged, glancing at her, worry creasing a knot in his forehead as if he had done something wrong. To settle his worries, she gratefully smiled and sat up to kiss him. When she pulled away, he seemed more relaxed and she placed both hands on his chest to push him down on the couch, proceeding to remove his pants and underwear as she placed soft kisses on his bare torso and thighs.

Raquel was pleased to find that he was still hard and, with the help of one hand, took her tongue from the base of his bulge until his tip. He rolled his eyes backwards, closing them. She carefully rolled down the skin on his penis and sucked his bulge as her hand rocked up and down.

The way she moved around him was exquisite. At her own wish, her lips either pressed against his bulge or easily enveloped his length. The combination of her mouth and her hand made it even more pleasurable.

"Raquel," he finally moaned after a few minutes trying to hold it in. "Please," he pleaded and she straddled him with her legs while climbing up to kiss his lips. She spread herself against his bulge and rocked her waist slowly as his thumb began drawing small circles on her nipples.

"Do you have a...?" She broke away from the kiss, staring into his eyes. He blinked once as if he were caught off guard by the question. "Don't worry," she said, reaching out for her purse and pulling out a condom. 

He nodded silently as Raquel opened the package and slid the condom on him, lifting up her waist as he positioned himself below her.

She sat on him so slowly that when their hips touched, Raquel's back instantly arched in pleasure. She began to thrust in steady motion. At first slow and firm, until evolving into a fast and hectic movement.

Raquel could tell he was on the verge of coming, so she slowed down her pace.

"I want you," she said, nearly panting. "On top."

He nodded, switching up their positions so she had her back against the couch and he was on top of her. When he began thrusting against her, his fingers once again on her clit, she started to moan.

"Y-yes," she muttered as he came closer and closer to spot that made her feel so gooey inside. "There," she pleaded when he did and he obeyed, rocking himself against her and continuing to massage her clit until she sunk her hands on his back, moaning louder and louder. She shrieked when she came to a haul and he followed her suit. They came, their members shivering and weakening until he fell on top of her, still inside her.

They tried to regain their breaths and, when he finally could, he supported himself on one arm to look down at her. She was still panting and he felt the ghost shiver on her legs as they trembled against his.

They looked at each other for a moment, in silence. 

"That was…" He trailed off in a chuckle, unable to express himself.

"It was," she offered, giggling, still breathing heavily. 

They fell into silence – one much more comfortable than the one they had initiated the night with. He carefully retracted his soft limb from inside her, unable to look at anything else but Raquel. She seemed to share the feeling, gazing up at him lovingly.

He could tell she wanted to say something. There was a pause while she ruminated what she was about to say.

"It's been... _a while_ since I've been with someone," she confessed, her gaze diverting to his chest as she watched it rise and fall with each breath he took, her profile faintly illuminated by the candles.

"Me too," he admitted, and her eyes locked into his once again. She brought a hand to his cheek, caressing it gently.

"I kind of thought I was done with this part of my life, you know? I was already fine with focusing on work and..." She smiled and shook her head, still staring at him. "And then I met you."

Sergio grinned and he felt as if his chest were about to burst. He couldn't believe this was real. The fact that he was holding onto Raquel right now and she was admitting that she felt the same connection he did was... for lack of a better word, surreal.

She gave him space to lay down on the couch. There was enough room for them both to lay down, but it was narrow enough that she was forced to curl up over him. Neither of them complained, though, and to make up for all the time he had gone without seeing her, he wasn't able to look away from her now.

"This might come as shock to you but I don't normally do... anything like this," Sergio said, flustered. Raquel let out a small laugh. "It's true. I've never met anyone that made me feel like this. Like you've made me feel. _Make_ me feel," he course corrected.

She shifted her body to place a kiss on his lips, one that attempted to communicate that she understood what he meant and that she felt the same. Slowly, she broke the kiss but the spell was still there. Even in the dark, she could see him looking up at her, his eyes glistening with enchantment and she wanted to savor this moment, all of it, repeatedly. She saw his expression turn slightly more serious, his eyes still glued to her.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked, her index finder tapping the hollow of his chest gently.

"I still don't understand how you're here," Sergio felt his head waver sideways in a slight shake. "It still doesn't seem real," he smiled.

"You think too much," she smiled, mirroring the shake of his head, and he silently agreed. She searched for his hand with hers, clasping them together and holding them against her bare chest. "Does it _feel_ real?"

He inhaled shortly as he looked up at her, their clasped hands moving as her chest heaved, her eyes focused on him with feline precision, even in the dark.

"It most certainly does," he muttered and she grinned. He let his thumb draw small circles on the back of her hand.

_Beep_.

Suddenly, Sam Cooke's voice began to sing from the sound system once again, turning on the light on the ceiling and startling them. Raquel let out a groan and hid her face in Sergio's chest and he just closed his eyes, drawing his arm up his face.

"Well, at least the energy's back," Sergio offered.

" _Nooo_ ," Raquel lamented. "I like the candles."

Sergio burst laughing and Raquel joined him soon after. She sat up as he carefully stood up from the couch, putting on his underwear and hurrying to turn off the lights. If he were to be honest, he frankly preferred the low lights as well – especially since he was still mostly naked.

"Much better, thank you," she announced, stretching her arms as she got up from the couch, picked up her glass of wine and turned around to face him. He inhaled sharply, drinking in her candlelit naked figure as she sipped from her wine. "I love this song."

Sergio focused on making out the lyrics that were being sung, until he could make out Send Me Some Lovin'`s chords.

_Send me some lovin' /_ _Send it, I pray /_ _How can I love you? /_ _When you're so far away_

She stretched out the arm with her free hand, her palm turned up.

"Come here," she asked, resting her glass on the table again. He wavered, but she jokingly shot up an eyebrow in faux consternation and he obliged, walking towards her.

He admired her confidence and hoped to become as comfortable as she was with being naked around him. She pulled him through the wrist and placed her hands in his, guiding them to her waist and throwing her own around his neck. They started to move sideways lazily and she looked up at him, one hand sliding through his hair.

"Tell me. How have you been?"

"Shitty," he answered with such honesty it made her stop in her feet promptly, staring at him. "See, I was waiting for this woman I met to reach out to me," he explained, biting the inside of his cheek with a smirk as she finally shook her head, smiling. "It was driving me mad, I'm telling you."

He twirled her and she resumed their dancing, letting out a small, content sigh.

"Other than that, things have been fine," he said, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Just the regular woes of your regular bookstore owner."

"Mine?" She tilted her head, eyebrows raised in amusement. He closed his eyes, mentally hissing at his choice of words. But the sound that escaped her throat sounded more like a chuckle than a groan and he opened his eyelids to find her smiling at him. "I could get used to the sound of that," she rose to her tiptoes to close the distance between them in a delicate kiss.

When she set the sole of her feet back on the ground, she pulled him in for a hug, her cheek resting on his chest. They stood there in that embrace until he noticed she tried to suppress a yawn.

"Do you want to lay down?" He asked, his fingers lazily playing with her loose hair. He felt her nod against his skin and placed a kiss on the top of her head. "Come on," he said, tearing away from her to turn off the music and blow out the candles in the room.

She lingered near the door until he joined her and they entered his bedroom together. Raquel watched as he neared the bed, waiting to see in which side he would lay down until she climbed up to join him.

He let his back relax against the mattress and she cuddled against him, a leg draping over his waist, her hand resting over his chest, her head resting on his shoulder.

"You know, I was hoping..." She said, beginning to draw lazy forms on his chest with her index finger. "We could spend this weekend together," she said, glancing up at him to have a peak at his reaction. He looked down at her, eyes widened, and she instantly recoiled, shifting away from him. "If you don't have other plans, of course."

"I don't," he hurriedly spoke, bringing a hand to the small of her back, holding her still, and when she drew her attention back to him, her expression softened. "I would love nothing more than to spend the entire weekend with you," he continued, his voice calmer this time.

"It's settled then," she smiled at him and then she glanced around his room thoughtfully, turning her gaze back at him. "Look, I don't want to impose on your home or your routine. I have a reservation at the hotel and tomorrow I–"

"Cancel it," he interrupted her, tightening his grip around her waist. "Stay here."

"Are you sure?" She tilted her head carefully. "I really like you, Sergio, but there's so much we don't know about each other. It's okay if you want to take this slow, if you want me to stay elsewhere..."

"Raquel," he called out, slightly sitting up on the bed, suddenly serious. She shifted her position, allowing him some space, and sat up, looking at him with a crease in her forehead. "I am not quite sure what the decorum is for situations like this. I... I'll admit that I've never really been with someone for more than a night. But ever since I met you, I haven't been able to think of anything else. These last two weeks without you were pure torture and I'm not trying to be melodramatic. I'm asking you to stay because I _want_ you to. I don't care for how long we've known each other or at what speed you want to take this, as long as I get to be with _you_."

She gazed at him, the crease in her forehead had disappeared and now all he could make out in the dark was the smile in her face and the sparkles in her eyes.

"Okay," she said. "Estoy contigo," she whispered softly as he placed his hand on hers, pulling her against him.

She let herself lean against his bare chest as he laid back, resting her head under his chin, her arm enveloping him in a tight embrace. He let his arm drape around her waist and placed a kiss on the top of her head, her scent filling his lungs more than air itself. He found himself smiling from one ear to the other.

The storm outside seemed far away now. All he could hear was Raquel's steady breaths lulling him to sleep.


	16. Taste

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look what the cat dragged in!! I managed to finish this chapter in time for the weekend, hooray!!!

Sergio came back to his senses when he felt a warm, rough tongue lick his cheek. He struggled to open his eyes, batting his eyelashes a couple of times before finally being able to focus on the familiar shape on top of him.

Palawan meowed loudly, giving him a playful tap on his chin, and Sergio just groaned in response, before finally starting to pet her as she pleaded.

"Hey, miss, where did you go last night?" He whispered, caressing Palawan. "Were you afraid of the thunders?"

When the words left his lips, the memories of the night before came to him in a jolt and he sat up, causing Palawan to jump to the floor, startled. She meowed in protest, but he was barely listening as he looked over to find the side of the bed Raquel had slept on completely empty. He looked out the window and noticed a light drizzle had replaced the pouring rain from the previous night.

His heart slumped as he looked for his glasses on the bedside table until he remembered he had left it on the other room. He hurried out of the bed and went out into the living room, nervous.

His concerns melted away when his gaze fell on Raquel, wearing the pajama shirt he had thrown on the floor the night before, as she moved around his kitchen, a happy tune playing out of her phone. With her back turned, she didn't seem to notice he had woken up, singing along to the music distractingly.

He picked up his glasses and put them on, surprised to find his pajama pants neatly folded next to it. He put them on just in time to see her turn around and smile brightly at him. He mirrored her smile, walking in her direction.

"You're up," she greeted, drying her hands in a towel and walking around the counter to meet him halfway. To add to his luck strike, she was wearing nothing but her underwear besides the shirt, keeping her bare legs at display. "Good morning," she chanted, throwing her arms around his neck and giving him a peck on the lips.

"Good morning," he said, taking a thumb to her face and rubbing it in the spot just below her cheekbone and she squinted at him. "You have flour all over your face," he explained.

"I'm making pancakes," she announced happily. Palawan strutted into the living room disclosing her arrival with a resounding meow. "Oh, did she wake you up?"

"She did," Sergio replied matter-of-factly.

"I tried telling her to let you sleep but I guess she does whatever she wants around here, huh?" Raquel teased.

"What can I say?" He shrugged, feigning defeat. "I'm a sucker for strong female personalities."

"Really?" She smiled broadly at him and broke their embrace to pull him by the hand towards the counter. "In that case, I'd like you to sit down and let me finish our breakfast."

Our. She used the word our. He smiled to himself, sitting on the stool and watching her move with ease in his kitchen. Sergio had never been a man of romance or relationships but he could get used to this. To kissing her, making love to her, falling asleep beside her, cooking with her, anything with her.

"How long have you been up for?" He prompted, watching her set two dishes, two mugs, a kettle of coffee and cutlery on the counter as the pancakes cooked. She was quick to learn her way around the kitchen and judging by the smell of the pancake batter, she was good at it too.

"Not so long ago," she replied, flipping the pancakes in the pan. "You were so peaceful in your sleep, I didn't want to wake you."

"I was probably dreaming of you," he reckoned candidly and she glanced at him over her shoulder.

"You're quite smooth with your words for someone who doesn't do romances," she taunted and he smiled, slightly embarrassed. "Not that I'm at all complaining, but you already won me over, Sergio."

"I meant it," he affirmed, his voice small and soft, and she instantly turned around, the spatula still in her hand.

"I know," she nodded, making sure to lock eyes with him as she replied. "So... what would you normally do in your weekend?"

She removed the pancakes from the pan and set two on each plate, settling the syrup bottle on the counter and rounding it so she could sit on the stool by his side. He contemplated her question for a moment.

"Do not tell me that you'd spend the entire weekend here reading or writing," Raquel jokingly scolded, adding syrup to her pancake.

"Sometimes I go out and I meet my friends," Sergio answered, his voice flat as he followed her lead, adding syrup to his own pancake. She smiled, eating a bite out of hers.

"You know, I really miss dancing," she admitted. "I used to go out all the time before Alberto. When we were together, he would always make me feel bad for doing it, so I eventually stopped. And now that he's out of my life, I could go out again and dance and have fun but... whenever people look at me now, it's like they watch my movements very closely and spread it around or they judge me because they think I'm lying or _worse:_ they feel pity."

Sergio just looked at her while she talked, shaking his head.

"It fazes me how most people are just... assholes," he offered and it made her chuckle.

"How are you not a misanthrope?" She asked, serving them both coffee.

"You can thank Andrés and Ágata for that," he replied, finally taking a bite of his pancake and darting his eyes back at her as he swallowed, totally serious. "This is incredible."

"Don't sound so shocked!" Raquel gasped.

"I'm not shocked that you're a good _cook_!" He threw his hand up, signaling his defeat. "I'm wondering if you're just good at everything."

Raquel clicked her tongue, trying to hide her smile.

"I would love to take you out to dance, but as you could see last night, I am the reluctant owner of two left feet," he raised his eyebrows, adding stacked bites of the pancake in his mouth.

"You dance just fine to me," she disagreed. "But, yeah... I think it's going to take me a while to go out in public again. At least while all of this is still fresh and my face is still popping up everywhere," she rolled her eyes.

Sergio's eyes flickered and for a moment he seemed to ponder on what she had said. He continued to eat in silence for a few minutes and when he finished the pancake he turned to her with his mug in hand.

"Well... what do you want to do today?" He asked and she ate her last bite, squinting her eyes while giving the question some thought.

"My idea..." She turned around in her stool, raising her bare leg and resting in on top of his. He nearly spilt his coffee but tried to hide it. "... was to just alternate between your bedroom and your living room. There's a lot we can do in this apartment."

His eyebrows reared in response and she laughed.

"Oh, get your mind out of the gutter," she shook her head, a smirk in her face. "I mean, there so much I want to talk to you about. I like talking to you. Actually, few things in life come as easy for me as talking to you."

"Ditto," he smiled at her genuinely, resting his cup of coffee on the counter and his now free hand on her leg, massaging her shin.

"I want to kiss you," Raquel continued, smiling back. "And cuddle and listen to music and just not to think about anything or anyone else but the two for us for the rest of the day. What do you think?"

Sergio's lip curved up, barely hiding his excitement.

"Sounds perfect."

* * *

After breakfast, Sergio volunteered to do the dishes while Raquel took a shower. When she had come back to the living room, fresh and comfortable in a yellow summer dress (a welcoming contrast to the drizzle outside), Sergio had opened the couch, transforming it into a bed, and added sheets and pillows to make it all the more cozy. He was laying on a couple of pillows, reading a book, when she slid her hands down his chest, her body leaning against the couch, to place a kiss on his neck.

His body stiffened for a moment – he was not used to intimate touches and caresses – but the moment her lips brushed against his skin and her scent invaded his lungs, he forgot even his deepest worries. He closed the book, pushing it to the couch, and placed his hands over hers.

"I like this new set up," she mumbled, placing a soft kiss on his shoulder.

"I thought you might," he replied. "My turn to shower now," he said, attempting to get up, but Raquel's arms held him tightly in place.

"No, stay here," she pleaded, nuzzling his neck to distract him. It _almost_ worked.

"I won't be long," he tried to convince her. "You could make us some tea in the meanwhile."

"Fine," she finally relented, letting go of him and straightening up to go to the kitchen.

Sergio smiled as he got up from the couch. It was such a foreign feeling to him, being this carelessly happy.

It was all he could think about while he showered – how he had never let himself be this open and caring, except with Andrés and maybe in some rare occasions with Ágata. Raquel had really come into his life with a hammer, tearing down the walls he didn't even know he had built around him.

When he walked back to the living room, wearing a white shirt and plaid pants, she had already put on some music on his sound system and had found a tray for the kettle of tea and their mugs. She was placing it on the couch and smiled as he made his way towards her.

She pulled him by his hand to the couch and when he laid his back against the pillows once again, she instantly cuddled against him, her hand stroking his hair as she kissed his neck, his beard, his cheek and finally his lips.

They made themselves comfortable like that for a long moment: Raquel's fingers tousling with his hair, Sergio's arms embracing her, kissing slowly and passionately until Palawan's meow drew their attention to her small frame sitting on the couch, looking up at them.

They laughed and the cat took it as a sign of their attention, strutting towards them both and climbing up Sergio, taking up a spot in his chest.

"See, this one knows what I'm talking about," Raquel joked, caressing her. "This is a _very_ good spot."

He looked down at the two of them and smiled.

"Do you have a cat at home?" He asked, curious.

"No, I travel too much, I wouldn't feel good leaving them alone," she explained, petting Palawan under her chin as she purred. "I did have a cat growing up. My sister and I found a kitty with a really bad eye infection when we were with my mom in Portugal. We begged her to let us help the kitty and she took us to the university vet school. They had to remove his eye and by the time the kitty had gotten out of surgery, we had convinced mom to let us adopt him. We named him Lisbon and he was the sweetest companion. He'd wake me up in the morning, would cuddle with us when we were sad. He lived 15 years and is buried in my mom's backyard."

"I never had a pet before Pali," he said and Raquel smiled at the nickname he had given her. "Growing up sick, my dad was overzealous and when I finally got better, he got sick, so all my attention kind of turned to him and the bookstore. Ágata was actually the one who found Palawan next to her work. It was a chilly night so she brought her here because her apartment doesn't allow pets. She said it would be temporary, until she found her a new home, but I think her plan all along was to make me care for her."

Raquel watched him caress Palawan's head with his thumb, ever so gently, and a smiled graced her lips.

"It worked," she matter-of-factly responded and then looked up at him, her eyes warm and inviting. "You said you were a sick kid. That must have been hard."

"Yeah, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease when I was still pretty much a baby," he revealed. "I was tired all the time. My joints hurt. My body was just really weak, in general. It took a while and a lot of money to get a diagnosis. Eventually, after years and years of treatments and meds, it went into remission. I was 13, I think. By then, I had already gotten my studies up to the junior year. My dad tried to send me to school but... it was hell, so I begged to be homeschooled again and got my GED in the next year. I started taking some classes in college and helping my dad out in the bookstore so when I finally enrolled in a university, I had already decided to get a major in Literature and a minor in Business and Administration. I wanted to be able to be there for my dad like he was for me."

"That's sweet of you," Raquel asserted kindly. Her attention now focused on him, as were her caresses, her fingers running through his bare arms. "It's nice to know that you had your dad and Andrés with you."

"Yeah," he nodded. "Andrés has always taken good care of me, but my dad – bless him – was so overbearing and eager to please me that Andrés quickly learned that he had to be a tad belligerent with me. It was nice, to have an older brother who would treat me normally when everybody else treated me like I was made of glass."

"My sister and I were so close when we were kids, we would do everything together and we wanted to do everything the same as the other. I'm sure we drove my mom crazy," Raquel chuckled. "But we didn't get along much when we became teenagers. We would fight over chores, clothes, boys. Then she got pregnant, at 16, and decided to keep the baby even when the father bailed. That kind of brought us closer again and she made me my niece's godmother. It wasn't easy, helping her take care of Sabrina while we were still so young, but she is such an incredible kid. She was actually the one who pushed me to pursue acting as a career."

"Really?" Sergio asked, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

"She was 8, I was 26 and we were talking about the things we loved the most in the world. When I told her acting was one of _my_ favorite things, she asked me why I wasn't going after it," she laughed. "It was like a brick hitting me on the head, but it did push me out of comfort zone. I wouldn't be where I am today without her. Maybe I wouldn't even be here with you..."

She trailed off, suddenly becoming aware of the impact Sabrina's words had on her life, as simple as they were. Sometimes it was the most simple things that had the most lasting effect and the most wonderful consequences. Like aimlessly walking into a bookstore and bumping into it's owner...

Sergio, on the other hand, felt his heart pound heavily on his chest, thinking of all the other possible timelines where he and Raquel never met. It made him dearly appreciate to be living in a timeline where he had, indeed, met her.

"Thank Sabrina for me, will you?" He asked, pulling her closer to him as if he wanted to make sure she was real.

"Definitely," Raquel replied, leaning in to give him another kiss.

* * *

They had spent most of the day on the couch, just talking. Or at least _mostly_ talking – there was also a lot of cuddling, kissing and some M-rated make out sessions. They ordered take out food simply because they didn't want to leave each other's arms. They answered the door giddy and giggling as teenagers and ate on the couch – something Sergio rarely, ever did – whilst laughing over their most embarrassing stories.

They started drinking wine when the sun began to set and Raquel began dancing and singing Sultans of Swing until she managed to get Sergio up and dancing with her. He quickly managed to make her forget about dancing at all when he started kissing her and she remembered he had a bathtub they could put to use.

When Sergio confessed that he barely used it, Raquel took it upon herself to make a bubble bath for them and decided to add some candles to the bathroom. The music still played out in the living room while they sat on the bathtub, her back resting against his chest, as he kissed her neck, her cheekbone and that one spot under her ear that made her nearly moan whenever he brushed his lips against it.

"Sergio," she chanted gently.

"Mhm?" He muttered, still placing kisses on her neck, making it very hard for her to concentrate.

"We should talk..." She tried again, but he didn't wince.

"About what?" He whispered, his damp beard tickling her skin while he kissed her.

"About us," she said, feeling him tense up behind her. "Don't fret," she smiled, squeezing his thigh underwater in comfort. "I just... I'd like for us to lay our cards on the table here. I want us to be on the same page."

"Okay," he spoke, trying to hide the worry in his voice. "How about you tell me what page you're in?"

She inhaled and exhaled deeply, leaning further against him, her hands clasping with his.

"I know we live in different cities," she replied. "I know we lead very different lives... But I really like you. And I really like this," she tilted her head to look up at him, her eyes drowning in apprehension. "And I don't want there to be any doubt about that or about who we are to each other."

"So you're proposing...?" He trailed off, trying to wrap his head around what she meant.

"That we date," she bit her bottom lip tentatively.

He gazed at her, his eyes brimming with genuine affection.

"So I guess this is where I ask you what page you're in?" She attempted a smile.

"I couldn't think of anything better than being with you," he smiled, kissing her temple gently. "But I must warn you that I'm completely inexperienced with dating. I have no idea what I'm doing."

Raquel grinned in return.

"I'm sure you'll get the hang of it. See, this is the part where you can now resume what you were doing," she teased, poking him gently, and he laughed.

"Like this?" He began nuzzling her neck again.

"Uh-huh," she replied. "Such a good student," she complemented, already distracted by how good his lips felt on her.

And this time, she was not going to interrupt him.

* * *

They were finally laying together in bed, both still trying to catch their breaths from what started on the bathtub and quickly evolved, leading them to finish what they had begun in a drier, more comfortable environment.

Sergio was having an especially hard time getting his breathing even. He was still fundamentally stunned that this amazing, incredible woman – a famous actress no less – wanted to date _him_. Him, of all people.

He only noticed when Raquel shot up a curious glance at him, but he had begun chuckling in disbelief.

"What?" She inquired, a pleasurable smile still dangling her lips, rolling around to get a clearer view of him.

"Uh," he took a deep breath to try to explain and his expression turned into a more serious daze. "I'm worried this... this has been the best day of my life," he finally managed to say, glancing down at her.

She tried to suppress it, but her body started to contort with laughter. She let her head fall onto his chest, shaking it.

She finally put herself together and looked up at him to meet his glance.

"Sergio, you already won me over, you don't need to exaggerate," she assured him, her hand sliding across his chest.

He slid his arms around her waist and stared at her intently.

"I mean it," he promised. "I didn't see this coming. You. Us. This," he motioned at them as he talked.

"Do you anticipate everything?" She quirked her eyebrows at him defiantly, even if her lips were curved in a smile.

"Let's just say that... I'm the kind of man who picks the clothes I'm going to wear the night before. I've kept to the same routine for the past four to five years. I spent so many years bedridden that I all I did was read and study and read some more. I studied to take care of Hanoi because it was my dad's dream and he worked so hard for me and Andrés. But if I had to be honest... ever since I was a sick kid going in and out of hospitals... I thought maybe I wasn't meant to live. You– You make me glad I did. I don't think I've ever felt lucky for being alive. Not until I met you."

She felt drops of tears escape her eyes and took her knuckles to her face to wipe them clean. When her blurry vision allowed her to focus on him again, she noticed he had tears in his eyes as well. She grazed her fingers through his beard and leaned in to kiss his cheek repeatedly.

"You..." She muttered against his skin, her breathing tethered. "... are the sweetest man I've ever met."

A chuckle escaped his lips once again and she smiled back at him.

"Don't ever for a second think that you are the only lucky one here," she asserted, curling up against him. She let out a content sigh. "I would stay like this forever if I could."

"Then stay," he suggested. "I nearly lost my mind for the past few days, can you imagine what a long-distance relationship will do to my anxiety?"

She grinned, shaking her head.

"I have a mother with Alzheimer's to take care of," she reminded him.

"Then I'll come and help you," he offered. She looked at him with her brow furrowed, sensing the seriousness in his proposal.

"You would leave your whole life behind to come help me take care of my mom?" She repeated his suggestion out loud to make sure she was understanding him correctly.

"Right now," he vowed. "I would go anywhere with you. I just... I don't want this to end."

He smiled, but he was still unable to hide his disappointment. Raquel suspected it, so she kissed his lips deeply and leaned back to look at him.

"Hey," she made him turn his face at her and held his gaze knowingly. "This is just the beginning. As much as I appreciate the thoughtfulness, I want to give us room to breathe. Mankind has a few functionalities that are actually quite beneficial to long distance relationships such as trains and airplanes."

There was a pause while he absorbed her stance. Raquel hoped he understood – right now, she needed to stand on her own two feet. She needed him there to support her as she handled what she had on her plate, not as a crutch. She wanted them to be together, but she still needed to feel like she could be alone. He seemed to have read her mind, because he finally, quietly nodded.

"Okay," he let out a heartfelt chortle and exhaled deeply.

"Okay?" She echoed, raising her eyebrows.

"Okay," he assured, smiling.

"Okay," she kissed his cheek one last time, settling the matter, and snuggling in his arms.

He waited for her to fall asleep, their entire day together still reeling in his mind. After a while, he managed to get up without waking her and when she mumbled for him to come back he told her he just had to go to the bathroom. He picked up his phone on the night stand on the way, closing the door behind him, careful not to make any loud sound.

"Andrés? Hi, how are you?" Sergio whispered into the phone. "Good. No, _really_ , I'm good, I just... It's about Raquel. Maybe she'll hate me for this but... I need you to do something for me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, comments are always appreciated! I love getting to know what you're thinking about the story. Also, I keep adding some easter eggs like small things from canon to the story because I think it's fun!
> 
> Sorry for the small cliffhanger, I'll be back as soon as I can with another installment!! :D


	17. Bravado

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!! Now that I'm back to work I'm trying to update at least once a week, just because I don't want to leave you hanging dry...
> 
> I didn't really get to review this chapter before I'm posting it, so hopefully you'll excuse any errors you might find along the way lol

It had been a while since Raquel had a good night of sleep but these past two nights? Sleeping in Sergio's arms, the warmth of his body against hers, the green, fresh notes of his scent. It was the best nights of sleep she had in forever. Somehow, being with him already felt like home.

She stretched herself on his bed before finally fluttering her heavy eyelids open and a frown surged on her face when she noticed Sergio was no longer by her side. She looked out the bedroom window and smiled as she saw the tree leaves glistening under the sun – hey, at least it was a nice day.

Raquel decided to go straight to the bathroom to take a quick shower and brush her teeth. She went through the bag of clothes that had now taken up a space next to Sergio's nightstand and settled on white shorts and a black tank to start the day.

When she got to the living room and found Sergio setting up the table for breakfast, she smiled so largely her cheeks hurt. The intimacy of the scene, of this relationship – she was allowed to call it that now – they had created in such little time, it was something that she craved so badly but that she never thought she would have with anyone. She had never had it with any of her ex-boyfriends, so finding it at 40 with a man who she had known for so little time was more than surprising but she wouldn't trade it for the world.

She approached him from behind, circling her arms around his waist and resting her cheek against his back.

"Good morning," she said, placing a kiss on the fabric of his shirt.

"Good morning to you too," he replied and she could almost hear the smile on his face.

"What's for breakfast?" She inquired, separating herself from him but letting her hand clasp his.

"l-I'm not the greatest cook, but I tried to make some vegan french toast," he motioned at the plates, which he had carefully decorated with maple syrup and sliced fruits. "Not sure if it's any good though."

"Let's see, shall we?" She suggested, sitting down on the table and he followed her lead.

He looked at her anxiously, waiting for a verdict as she took the first bite out of the toast.

"Sergio," she grabbed his hand over the table, gently squeezing it. "It's so good."

He smiled as the nervousness of his culinary skills dissipated. She hummed with pleasure while she ate and he silently promised himself he would always do everything he could to make her happy.

"I hope you don't mind," Sergio began as they finished their breakfast. She looked up at him, her eyebrows raised. "I made us some plans for the day."

"What plans?" Raquel beamed.

"It's a surprise," he calmly replied, checking his wrist watch. "By the way, we have thirty minutes to get ready."

She widened her eyes in surprise and nearly drank her coffee in one gulp, excited about where the day would take them. He had advised her to put on a swimming suit under her clothes, which already made her gleam with joy. It had been so long since she went swimming.

There was a white van waiting for them outside at 10 am, on the dot. On the entrance of the building, Raquel looked up at Sergio suppressing a smile, her brow furrowed.

"Are you taking me out or kidnapping me?" She teased.

"Just wait for it," he smiled as they walked towards the van.

When the doors slid open, Raquel was startled to see Ágata, Mónica, Ricardo, Aníbal, Andrés and Martín inside.

"Oh my God," she chuckled, taken back by the ogling eyes in their direction. "Hi!"

They all greeted her warmly as she and Sergio went inside the van and he closed the door behind them. She and Sergio sat next to each other and he couldn't help but notice her hand naturally resting on his thigh, her fingertips softly caressing his leg. Raquel poked Mónica on the seat in front of her and approached the small gap in between their seats to see her more clearly.

"What is this surprise, do you know?" Raquel asked her in a whisper.

The blonde just shook her head, trying to hide a smile.

"I was just told a place and a time," she guaranteed her. Her face was suddenly replaced by Ágata's, who had brushed her aside.

"This is the Professor's plan, I'm afraid," Ágata shrugged, then turning around to open a box. In a few seconds, she raised a bottle full of yellow liquid. "Mimosas anyone?"

* * *

It took forty minutes and two bottles of mimosa to get them to their location – a county fair located next to a river. It was Sunday morning, so the place was full with families and children. Raquel watched the movement out of the window and she was beginning to wonder what the hell Sergio had in mind. This was exactly everything she didn't want: a place full of people who could recognize her.

When the van stopped, all eyes turned to Sergio, who had a full bag in his hands.

"Okay, here's what we're going to do," he opened the bag and took out a mask of Salvador Dalí's face. "We're all going to put this on and follow me," he looked down at Raquel. "This is how no one will see you here."

She smiled at him so gratefully. They all put on their masks and waited for Sergio's command. He positioned himself next to the door and looked back at everyone to make sure they were ready.

"Okay, let's go," he said, opening the door and jumping out of the van.

They all climbed out of the van with their masks, carrying their bags of food and drinks, and followed Sergio as everyone in the park turned their heads to watch the group of Dalí masked strangers. It was an odd scene, so the crowd of people ended up scattering around as they walked, eventually freeing their path.

Sergio led them down a pier until the very end, only stopping before a boat named "El Dorado" to turn around and motion at the group.

"Well, get in," he said and his masked companions didn't take long to get themselves and their bags in the boat.

Sergio looked down at the clock on his wrist and signaled to the sailor he had hired. In three minutes, the boat had sailed out to the river and they started to remove their masks.

He searched for Raquel, who glanced up at him, chuckling in disbelief. He had managed to rent a fucking boat to take her out for a ride, he had managed to get all of his friends on the plan, he even had the appropriate solution to get them from a park full of people to the pier on the other side. Of course. Of course he would've thought of everything.

"Is this okay with you?" He asked, sitting down on a stool as the others took their food and beverages out of the bags, excited about spending the day in a boat.

Raquel shook her head, smiling as she circled her arms around his neck.

"If this is okay?" She echoed, snorting. "Sergio, this is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me."

He smiled, taking a hand to adjust the glasses in his nose. She leaned in to plant a kiss on his cheek.

"And considerate," she switched to kiss his other cheek.

"Good," he sighed in relief. "I was worried for a moment you would hate this."

She chuckled.

"How could I hate this? You came up with a plan just to take me out," Raquel ran her fingers through his hair. "You put all of your friends up to this..."

"You deserve it," he muttered, running his hand lazily up and down her spine.

Raquel leaned in, closing the distance between them with a kiss and he almost whimpered. Her lips tasted of passionfruit and her skin was warm from the sun. They were starting to get a little carried away when a striking voice pulled them out of it.

"Hey, lovebirds!" Ágata yelled from the other side of the boat. "Let's have a toast before you decide to christen this thing!"

They both laughed, Sergio's cheeks burning red, and quickly walked to the other side of the boat, hand in hand, to grab a champagne flute.

"What are we toasting to?" Sergio asked while Andrés removed the foil from the champagne bottle.

"To you and this lovely boat ride?" Raquel suggested.

"To our lovestruck Sergio!" Ágata shouted and laughter soon followed.

"And to our new friend Raquel," Mónica added, filling her own glass with sparkling water.

With a swift movement, Andrés popped the bottle open and served everyone else's glasses. They clinked their flutes and cheered happily while Ágata turned on the speaker.

"Prof," Ricardo put an arm over Sergio's shoulders. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure," Sergio replied, glancing down at Raquel who nodded at him assuringly. Ricardo walked with him to the side of the boat while Raquel looked around at what he had accomplished in such short notice.

Andrés approached Raquel, clinking his glass on hers once again and smiling at her knowingly.

"You've really done a number on my brother, you know," he said and Raquel grinned. "I've never seen him do anything spontaneous before. Well, as spontaneous as a carefully planned boat trip could be."

She laughed and took a sip of her drink.

"Did he enlist your help?" She asked, eyebrows raised.

"He called me last night with the whole thing planned. I just had to pull a couple of strings," he explained with a wave of his hand. Then, his expression softened and he gulped before adding: "I don't know if he has told you, but we might move to Berlin after the wedding. I got a sweet job offer and Martín mostly works from home so... I have to admit a part of me was always worried that he would just go on like the lone wolf he has always been," they both looked at Sergio, who gesticulated quickly whilst explaining something to Ricardo. "I mean, sure, we have great friends but... he deserves more than that," Raquel bit the bottom of her lip, sensitive to how open Andrés had been. She quietly nodded, looking up at him. "Take good care of him, will you?"

"I will," she assured him, trying to keep her emotions at bay.

"Raquel!" Ágata shouted from the prow, where she and Mónica were dancing. "Come dance with us!"

Raquel smiled. So _that_ was why he gathered everyone. He wanted her to dance and let go among people who would not judge her. The parties she had mentioned to him that she missed but wasn't exactly ready to go back to. She shook her head, passionately shooting him a look before joining the girls for a dance.

The girls must have danced for three hours total. In between small breaks, Mónica would put her feet up – her baby bump was getting bigger and bigger –, Ágata would refill their glasses and take millions of selfies and Raquel would approach Sergio to engage in as much PDA as possible before anyone cleared their throat next to them.

Somewhere along the river, the boat stopped and everyone jumped in the water, excited to freshen up on this incredibly sunny day. Sergio had only gone in the water because _Raquel_ convinced him – it really wasn't that hard for her to convince him of _anything_ – and even Ricardo had to tell him that, _dude, you're wrapped around her little finger_.

An hour later, when Raquel sat between Sergio's legs in the prow, their friends had quietly relocated to the back of the boat, hoping to leave them to privately enjoy each other's company, but neither of them had noticed their absence. The sun had begun setting and the view from the river was stupendous. Sergio let his cheek rest against Raquel's damp hair, their fingers interlaced while they watched the sunset in silence.

She let out a satisfied gasp, pulling his arms further around her in a tight embrace.

"I can't thank you enough for this," she murmured, raising his hand to kiss it gently. "This day, this weekend," she craned her neck to look up at him and his face was so serene she wanted to lay kisses all over him. She took a hand to play with his hair and his eyes closed at her touch. "I'm going to miss you."

"Me too," he muttered, laying kisses on her temple and neck repeatedly. She giggled and he finally laid a kiss on her lips before pulling away to glance down at her. "Do you already have a flight booked?"

She shook her head negatively, continuing to caress his arms.

"I'm thinking of going after breakfast tomorrow," she softly said. He felt his heart beating out of his chest.

"Let's not talk about it," he buried his face on her neck as if he were trying to hide himself from the reality.

"Hey," she gently elbowed him, prompting him to raise his head. "Look at that," she pointed out the sun setting behind a line of trees and the sky that seemed to be painted in a gorgeous mix of orange and pink. The colors reflected in the river and it looked like an impressionist painting.

Sergio found it beautiful. He really did – but his gaze was soon diverted back to the beautiful woman in his arms. For him, that would always be the superior view.

* * *

Raquel wasn't exactly sure how they managed to get home. Yes, she was definitely drunk, but after the van left everybody else home, she nearly straddled Sergio on the back of the car. She couldn't remember how she got up the stairs – maybe he had carried her up? Honestly, she couldn't care less because right now they were finally in his apartment and the door had closed behind them and all she could think about was taking off all of their clothes and fucking him senseless.

As their tongues collided, Raquel's hands caressed and gently pulled his hair. Sergio, undoubtedly as immersed as she was, just pulled her against him.

His tongue swirled in her mouth and a moan escapes her lips unwillingly. She could feel Sergio’s hands pulling her against him, one of them making it’s way underneath the dress she had thrown over her bikini, gently stroking circles on her thigh.

Raquel broke their kiss in a hurry, pushing him on the couch and straddling him, looking down at him as she slowly pressed herself against his pants, her hands against his neck. Suddenly, the hurry was over and she hovered over him as if she had frozen.

Sergio watched her with hunger filling his eyes as she leaned in, tracing her tongue along his lower lip, slowly beginning to rock herself against him. It was Sergio's turn to let out a sigh and she smiled against his lips, pressing her lips against him once again before gently biting them and pulling back to look at him.

Anticipating her next move, he placed both of his hands on the back of her thighs and shifted them in the couch, throwing her back against the cushions and positioning himself on top of her. She took her hands to the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head, pulling him back to lie against her.

He kissed her right beneath her ear, trailing his open mouth against her cheek bone, sending shivers down her spine. She fidgeted her hands between both of them remove his pants, quickly bringing them to the his hair and back once he pressed his bulge against her.

She began moving her pelvis against him and opened her mouth only for him to catch it with his. They kissed passionately as he rocked his bulge against her, her legs wrapping around his waist.

Quickly, he sat up, her legs still wrapped around him. She continued to grind herself on top of him as he reached for the hem of her dress and pulled it over her head, throwing it on the floor. He laid on top of her again and when they kissed this time, he felt her bare legs against his waist again.

This time, when he placed both hands on her back, he lifted her up from the couch, kissing her until they were able reach the nearest wall. Her breaths were shaky when he pushed her against it, his lips humming against her neck. His free hand stroke her bare stomach until reaching her bikini bottom. He took his middle finger and rubbed it against her through the damp fabric, her back arching at his touch.

She moaned again when he sped up his rhythm, pulling the fabric aside and bringing his thumb to circle against her pulsing center. When she let out another moan, he kissed her mouth, holding her by the legs again and leading them to the bedroom. He lowered her back on the bed, his hands playing with the strings in her bikini top as he kissed the spot between her breasts.

Raquel sighed, quickly removing her bikini, his warm breaths against her bare stomach, pressing his lips against her until he reached her inner thigh. He then trailed his tongue from her inner thigh to her lower lips, closing his mouth on her clit, sucking on it and swirling his tongue around it, lowering his mouth until he reached her folds.

She moaned louder as he gently nibbled and moved his tongue around her. His mouth found her center again as he slid his finger inside her. She arched her back, her breaths even shakier as her hands played with his hair. When he slid the second finger inside her, she pulled him by the hair towards her, pressing her lips against his. He continued speeding against her until he could feel her fingernails digging on his back, quietly asking for more.

He removed his fingers from inside of her and dropped his underwear to his knees. He picked up a condom from the bedside table and put it around his bulge, kissing her as she wrapped her legs around him again, pressing the head of his cock against her entrance. He held still for a moment, positioning his elbow on the bed too give him a better support.

He entered her so slowly she gasped, feeling her lower muscles twitch as he filled her. He moved inside of her with patience and she dug her fingernails into his back again, pleading him to speed up his rhythm, and he obliged.

His hips began thrusting against her harder and faster with every turn. She gasped and moaned as her head tilted back, she could feel his veins pulsing inside of her as he thrusted harder and faster until he was completely inside of her. She used that moment to contract her inner muscles and hold him inside of her. This time, he was the one who gasped, dropping his forehead to hers as she slowly released him.

“Again,” she muttered, and he instantly obliged, starting off slowly until finding a steadier pace. When he thrust himself deep inside her again, she contracted her muscles once more, shifting their position so she was on top of him without having him move from inside of her. Sergio looked at her as if she were a goddess.

She must have read his mind because she looked down at him with a mischievous smile and he let his eyes close for a second before looking back at her. She released him again, raising her hips until only his tip was inside of her.

She bit her lower lip before bringing her hips against his fast and hard, riding him with the same speed she had him enter her. Her hands were against his ribs while his held her down on top of him between her waist and thighs. She thrusted against him faster and harder, moaning with him until she could feel his pulse inside her increase.

She kept the rhythm until she felt him release himself. When he did, he let his thumb roam between her folds again, circling around her clit in that way that she liked while she continued to ride him. It didn't take long for her to collapse on top of him, climaxing. Even after reaching her peak, she continued to move her hips, now gentler, until their pulses slowed down. She leaned down to kiss him, her hand caressing his beard affectionally.

"Raquel," he muttered and she barely heard it, but she glanced up, her eyes glistening in the dark. "I-I'm so completely in love with you."

She smiled so brightly he swore she looked like the sun.

"I am completely in love with you too."

* * *

The next morning, when Sergio woke up with Raquel still asleep in his arms, a bitter smile appeared on his face. He laid in bed with her for an hour while she sleepily cuddled against him. They were completely naked, covered only by a thin layer of covers, and despite being entirely new to these situations, he had never felt more comfortable.

The first night they slept together, he laid in such a bliss he didn't even notice when she woken up next to him and started cooking them breakfast. The next day, he woke up with the sun rising and decided to return the favor. But today? Today all he wanted to do was lay with her in bed, kissing her all over, lost in time.

She shifted a little on the mattress and, upon feeling his body near, she simply pressed herself further against him. He softly smiled and let his fingers lazily caress the length of her arms and waist.

"You're staring," she mumbled, eyes still closed.

"I'm gazing," he returned with a smirk. She smiled as she opened her eyes, her eyelids still heavy, but her stare as piercing as ever into his.

"You really are," she chuckled and the sound that escaped her lips was so warm and cozy he could've made it his home for the rest of his life.

She turned around to look at him properly, letting her hands slide up his back, stopping in his hair. Raquel played with the locks of his hair and Sergio caressed her with feather-light fingers and they just laid like that for a moment, in silence, as if nothing else existed.

Sergio smiled abruptly and it took her by surprise – the way his face crunched up suddenly, his smile so large and full of life, the wrinkles around his eyes.

She didn't notice when she started returning the smile until her cheeks began to move, mirroring his joyful burst.

"I _adore_ these dimples," she sighed, her index finger pointing at the exact spot his dimples had appeared, tapping it lightly. When he blushed, diverting his gaze to the sheet, Raquel chuckled. It just made him all the more adorable.

She closed the distance between them with a sweet peck on his lips and his attention was evidently brought back to her because as soon as she pulled back, he leaned in again for another kiss.

When his lips brushed against hers, she instantly understood him. She returned the heat that oozed from him with equal fervor. She pressed her naked body against his and it didn't take long for Sergio to _fully_ wake up.

She smiled against his lips devilishly, her hand sliding down his back and waist until it reached his erection. He gulped at her touch and when she circled her fingers around him, he felt a shiver run through his core.

She craned her neck, breaking the kiss with his bottom lip between her teeth. She watched his expression as she slowly guided her hands up and down his length – his eyes were closed, his mouth slightly open. She leaned in and began to plant kisses on his lips, on his neck, on his shoulder. She continued to focus on him until he let out a loud groan.

" _Raquel_ ," he muttered, through gritted teeth. "Come here," he said, his voice suddenly firm and husky, and she obliged, quietly letting go off his erection.

He put his hand firm on her lower back, bringing her body closer to his, resting on his elbow to find a better position next to her. He crashed his lips against her, passionately, and let his fingers roam through her spine, down her back, over her ass, on her thighs... She felt the heat between her legs and when his fingers found her center, she moaned against his lips.

Sergio pulled away to look at her and it still mesmerized him how he was able to make her feel _pleasure_. Raquel, on the other hand, was mind-blown by how quick he had learned his way around her body, like giving her pleasure was the most important lesson he had ever had to learn.

It didn't take long for him to circle his thumb around her clit and press his fingers in motion in _all the right places_. She moaned his name out loud and all it did was make him even more turned on.

"Sergio, I need you _now_ ," she muttered, and he quickly found a condom on the bedside table and put it on. He turned around and searched for her face. "Come," she pleaded.

He positioned himself on top of her and spread her legs, straddling them around his waist. He brought himself closer to her entrance and when she guided him with her fingers, they both arched their backs in pleasure.

He began his movements against her, at first slow and careful, until she dug her fingernails on his back, which he had already learned that meant he should move faster and hander. He obliged, and when her breathing began to hitch, he placed his thumb on her clit, rubbing it in circles, bringing her closer and closer to the edge.

" _Sergio_ ," she groaned, hardly able to hold back. "Together," she whispered and he nodded, keeping up the pace until she finally climaxed. " _Yes_ ," she moaned and he let himself climax too.

They laid intertwined for a while, both panting, until they regained their breaths.

"I could get used to waking up like this," she added in a near whisper.

He replied by planting kisses on her neck and shoulder and she both shivered and giggled as his beard tickled her. He didn't have to reply for her to know that he could easily get used to this too.

After breakfast, Raquel had already booked her ticket and finished packing her bag.

"Did I get everything?" Raquel mused out loud, glancing around his bedroom.

Sergio was sitting on the bed, brooding. He watched her move and all he wanted to do was pull her back into bed and tuck themselves under the cover. She stopped on her tracks for a second, glancing at him and his frown. She sighed, walking over to him and circling her arms around his neck.

"Don't be all doom and gloom," she ran her fingers through his hair, her voice sweet and low. "You're going to make me cry."

"Sorry," he offered, his voice so small all she wanted to do was hold him. So she straddled him with her legs, hugging him closely. He let his face fall on her neck, his arms tightly wound around her. They stood like that for several minutes, until she inhaled deeply.

"I have to go now," she whispered, her forehead against his, her hands still playing with his hair.

"I know," he said, recollecting himself to help her with her luggage.

They went down the stairs in silence and when her car arrived, she politely asked her driver for a minute to say her farewell to him inside his hallway.

"Hey," she called him out in between their kisses. "You do have my number now, right?"

"I do," he smiled and she laughed in return.

"Good," she kissed him again. "I'll be texting you on my way home, okay?"

He nodded quietly. Watching her get into the car was one of the hardest things he ever had to do.

Sergio tried to tell himself that this time it would be easier. They were together and that had to help him get through the days without her somehow – but as he walked up the stairs to his apartment and sunk himself on the couch, he knew it wouldn't get any easier.

He already felt empty.


	18. The District Sleeps Alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YOU GUYS, I'M SO SORRY!!! I really didn't mean to leave you hanging, but a lot was happening in my personal and professional life and I kind of felt like I was drowning a little bit and on top of that this chapter has a really different format than the others, so it took me longer than the others to get it going.
> 
> Anyway, I'm not quite sure how I feel about this chapter yet so I'm going to post this and hide under a rock, 'kay?

_Zero hour_

Everything reminded him of her.

The dirty dishes sitting on his sink – partly because it reminded him of their breakfast together, partly because he wouldn't let her wash them because he kept pulling her back to him.

His unmade bed – he actually sighed in relief when he noticed she had forgotten her perfume in his bathroom sink. That would do – he would change the sheets and spray her perfume on the new layers of linen.

The silence – God, how had he never noticed the drowning silence in this apartment before? He could never come close to filling the space as much as her laughter did.

How had he lived in this apartment for so long without her presence? It suddenly seemed implausible now, nearly impossible. His mind was alleviated when his phone buzzed and he almost dropped it in excitement.

10:27 AM <just checked-in, I'm waiting to board. what are you doing?>

10:28 AM <Nothing... Sitting here and staring into the void.>

10:29 AM <stop moping!>  
10:29 AM <you do have a bookstore to manage, right? 🤔>

10:31 AM <I might let Ricardo in charge today since I'm immobilized with sadness.>  
10:32 AM <Actually, I'm going to get ready to go now. Typing the idea to you already brought me to my senses.>

Sergio finally got up the couch and was taking his clothes off to shower when his phone buzzed again.

10:34 AM <glad to have that effect on you>  
10:34 AM <among other effects 😏>

He blushed instantly. What could he even reply after that? He leaned against the sink for a moment to think. It took him a couple of minutes to finally reply:

10:36 AM <You have no idea...>

10:36 AM <tell me>

10:37 AM <I would be here all day if I began to list the effects you have on me.>  
10:38 AM <Weren't you the one urging me to the shop?>

10:39 AM <you're right. I got a little carried away.>  
10:40 AM <boarding now, talk to you soon 😘>

Sergio smiled to himself softly. He thought of her voice, her soft kisses, her warm embrace. He remembered the early morning they shared, the taste of her lips, the little brown spots on her hip, the way her back arched when she moaned...

He sighed wistfully. If he was going to the store, he had to take a cold shower to cool down.

***

The day at the store was quite uneventful, but it did help to have something to do during the day. Raquel began texting again as soon as she left the plane. They texted for the entire day, even if sometimes it took her a while to reply – she _was_ taking care of her mother, after all. Ricardo teased Sergio for being the one distracted that day, but Sergio just chuckled in response. Nothing else seemed as important as Raquel right now.

She promised to call him later that night, so he went home, ate dinner, took a shower and laid in bed with a book while he waited for her. He read the same paragraph over and over again, but his mind was incapable of absorbing one single word. The universe must have pitied him, because as soon as he threw the book aside, his phone started to vibrate.

His heart palpitated when he saw that the incoming call was for a video chat. He had never done that before, but he so desperately wanted to see her that he didn't hesitate.

"Hi," he muttered, sitting up on the bed as the phone loaded her image.

When she finally appeared on the screen – her hair pulled up in a bun, no make up, laying in bed with a cozy sweater on – Sergio grinned.

"Hey, you," she said, a large smile also taking over her expression. "How was your day?"

"It was hard," he admitted, in a gulp. She softly smiled at him as he nudged his glasses up his nose. "But I liked talking to you throughout the day. Even if it was via texts."

"Me too," she replied. "It makes the distance a little less unbearable."

"How was _your_ day?" He questioned in return. "How is your mom?"

"She is okay, her pelvis is still healing from the fall but other than that she is still pretty lucid these days," she nodded, half-worried, half-satisfied. And then, her expression softened. "She actually spent most of the day interrogating me about you."

"Really?" Sergio widened his eyes.

"Yes," Raquel smiled. "She wanted to know who was responsible for making me grin every time I stared at the phone."

He smiled, a little embarrassed but mostly relieved that he hadn't been the only fool smiling at a mobile screen throughout the day.

"You know," she started off again and he could see from the video that she was turning around in bed. "She asked me to see a photo of you and I didn't have any to show her. We have to fix that soon – I'll need a picture to drool over the next few days."

Sergio laughed. He hoped to never stop being mesmerized by her and the honest way she always expressed herself. Talking to her was so easy – they talked for about an hour until he noticed her eyelids heavily closing against her will.

"You're tired," he stated matter-of-factly and she scrunched her nose at him.

"I'm totally fine," she tried to say, but a yawn had to be suppressed mid-sentence and he laughed.

"You should sleep it off," he recommended.

"I don't want to sleep without you," she pouted. He smiled at that fondly.

"How about I read some paragraphs from the book I started until you fall asleep?" He kindly offered and was instantly rewarded with her beaming smile.

"Deal," she said, adjusting the phone on the pillow next to her and covering herself up.

It didn't take long, though, for her to lose the battle to her sleep. Sergio's voice had such a calming and soothing effect that she was soon in Morpheu's arms. Despite his offer, he didn't turn off the video straight after she had fallen asleep. He put down the book, turned off the lights and stared at his screen, at her relaxed expression as she slept and after a few minutes, when he finally felt a surge of sleepiness creep up his body, he turned off the call. He let his eyes shut and his mind drift him back to her.

* * *

_One week later_

He had offered to pick her up from the airport but she asked to meet him at his place. There were always people gathering around her in public spaces and still wanted to keep them in their safe bubble before being burst and exposed in social media and gossip sites.

So Sergio waited for her downstairs, in the hallway of his building, as soon as she texted him that she was close by. He couldn't actually believe he would get to see her again, in person, that he would get to hold her and kiss her and sleep with her in his arms.

She barely walked out of the car and neither of them could contain their excitement – they were grinning like idiots as she raced through the door, threw her bags on the floor and literally jumped on him, her legs wrapping around his waist and her lips crashing against his in between laughters.

Soon, the laughter faded and they found themselves kissing intensely until she pulled away slowly, breathing in and looking down at him from under her lashes. His eyes were fixated on her as if he was hypnotized.

"Hi," she finally whispers, her lips still brushing against his, a smile escaping her.

"Hi," he muttered back, his eyes traveling her face, trying to take all of her in again.

They went back to his place, giddy as children as they climbed the stairs, and spent the entire evening on his bed, talking as if they hadn't been talking all day, everyday, for the past week and making out in all the moments in between. They spent the entirety of the Friday night just like that, enveloped in each other, and when they finally succumbed to their carnal desire for each other, they took their damn time until their shared climax.

The next morning, Sergio woke up with Raquel kissing his face and neck. It still amazed him – it probably would for however long they were together – how a woman _like her_ was with a man _like him_. He convinced himself not to think too much of it. In case this was all just a very long dream, he decided – and Sergio Marquina never thought this sentence would ever cross his mind – to enjoy it thoroughly. They spent the early morning enveloped in more kisses and caresses until they agreed to have brunch with Andrés and Martín at their place. Ágata eventually joined them for a couple rounds of Bloody Mary, but after one o'clock, they decided see where the rest of the day would take them.

When they said their goodbyes to Sergio's friends, Raquel linked her hand in his as they strolled down the familiar street. She rested her cheek on his arm, a dreamy expression in her face.

"Last time we were here we were on our first date," she said with a grin and he tightened the grip on her hand, pulling her closer to him.

"I was so terrified that night," he admitted in a chuckle and she looked up at him with a frown and squeezed him, urging him to continue his sentence. "Terrified that at some point you would finally notice how _boring_ I am and just leave me talking by myself," he explained, nudging his glasses, and Raquel suddenly stopped on her feet, prompting him to look back at her and, for a second, his heart stopped. Her expression was serious, her forehead knotted and her lips were pressed into a line – it was almost as if she were considering his suggesti–

His mind went blank when she turned around and walked away. He was so confused he couldn't even find the strength to move his feet.

Then, out of nowhere, she turned around and grinned at him, rolling her eyes.

" _This_?" She asked, her eyebrows raised, signaling at her performance. "You really think I would do _this_ to you?"

"No," Sergio let out a relieved smile as she approached him. "It's just that no one else has ever really... So I don't really know what you..."

"Fuck everyone else," she smirked, closing the distance between them, her arms sliding around his waist and pulling his body against her.

He looked around, eyes filled with worry that someone would see them like that.

"Sergio?" She called out, placing a hand on his cheek to draw his attention back to her. "You know what? I've just decided I'm tired of other people dictating what I can or cannot do with my boyfriend. _Fuck. Them_."

His eyes widened at her – first by the nonchalant use of the word _boyfriend_ and then by the fact that she was just flipping the finger to everyone else's opinion of her. There were honestly times he wished he had the confidence to do the same. Raquel smiled softly at him, her hand caressing his beard as she studied his brooding face.

"And I have just decided that I'm going to take my boyfriend to the movies," she gave him a quick peck on the lips and smirked. "Can you believe he hasn't been in one since 1992?"

* * *

_Two weeks later_

Since Sergio had never had a girlfriend before, he wasn't quite sure what the common procedure for a situation like this was. He arrived at Raquel's front door with his weekend bag and a bouquet of jasmines, nervousness oozing from his body. Raquel opened the door with a beaming smile on her face, and then glanced down at his hands to look at the flowers.

"Sergio, you didn't have to–" She began to gently tell him, and his eyes shot from her to the bouquet and then back at her in a startle.

"Oh, no," he interrupted her. "Sorry. These, uh, are for you mom. I should have brought two of them, right? I kind of debated about it internally at the shop but I eventually decided two were too much and none was just plain bad."

Raquel let out a big laughter and placed her hands on each side of his face, leaning in to kiss his lips.

"You really are something else," she muttered, her lips not far from his. "Mamá will love them. Come in, _vamos_."

He let his bag at the spot near the front door Raquel had signaled him to and followed her in. Her place was different than what he would've expected from a movie star, but not different from what he would have expected from _her_. It was a simple house in a suburban area, a beautiful front yard and tastefully furnished. It was full of plants and flowers and family photos. It had a definitive feeling of _home,_ and that feeling was beginning to follow him whenever she was around. Maybe that was the effect she had on the world – turning each corner she passed by brighter and lighter.

"You have a lovely home," Sergio said, prompting her to glance back at him with a smile.

"Thank you," she replied, taking him by the hand and looking up at him with excitement and some anxiety. "I'm happy you're here, she's on a really good day."

"Good to know," he said as she walked him through the living room and into the spacious kitchen, where Mariví sat comfortably drinking a cup of tea.

"Here, come on. Mamá," she called out and Mariví's eyes darted at the both of them in surprise and awe. "This is Sergio," Raquel continued, signaling at him.

"Oh," Mariví put down her cup of tea and stood up happily. She walked over to them with a smile, turning her attention to Sergio. "You're the reason my eldest daughter wakes up singing like a bird now."

" _Mamá,_ " Raquel feigned reprehension, but just rolled her eyes and let out a chuckle as Sergio laughed, completely amused by her mother.

"Nice to meet you, Mariví," Sergio offered his hand and Mariví pushed it away to give him a warm hug. "These are for you," he said, giving her the flowers when she pulled away from him.

"Such a gentleman, hija," Mariví raised her eyebrows at Raquel suggestively, bringing the flowers close to her nose. "Gracias, Sergio. The scent of these are wonderful, let me put them in a jar."

"I can do it, mamá," Raquel said, taking the bouquet from her hands.

"I have heard great things about you, Mariví," Sergio kindly offered.

"All true, I suppose, but I can tell you better," she smirked and Sergio laughed.

"I'm sure you can," he replied.

"Come here, let's have a cup of tea, huh?" She returned to her seat on the kitchen table and he sat across from her as she served him a cup. Raquel watched them both from the kitchen counter as she filled a glass jar with water for the flowers, her eyes filled with tenderness.

"You know, Raquel always took her time in bringing anyone to meet me," Mariví said to Sergio, her tone stern yet low, as if she didn't want Raquel to hear her. "Even with–" She stopped mid-sentence and shook her head at the bad memories. "Well, no use dwelling in past, right? What I'm saying is: she must really like you if has brought you home."

"That makes me glad," Sergio replied. "Really, because I couldn't care more about your daughter."

"I can see that," Mariví nodded in content. "You have that twinkle in your eye when you look at her. Good. It means she has finally found someone who sees her for who she is."

Sergio smiled and was about to reply when Raquel sat down next to him.

"What are you two whispering about?" She asked, her eyebrows raised as she looked at both of them.

"We're just singing you praises, hija," Mariví replied. "I have a good feeling about this one," she pointed at Sergio, who instantly blushed.

"Me too, mamá," Raquel smiled, placing a kiss on his shoulder and Sergio felt an unexpected tug in his heart at the intimacy of this moment. "Now – I know you're dying to tell him about my embarrassing childhood stories. Do so now so I can mediate all the unnecessary details, please."

* * *

_Three weeks later_

"You know, this was not exactly the definition of going out I had in mind," Raquel whispered in his ear, her lips pouted in resignation as Sergio animatedly wrote in his notebook.

The tour guide in front of them continued talking about the structure of the Mint and how the historical building was planned. It had been two hours since they arrived and while the beginning of the tour was interesting, Raquel was starting to feel unsettled as if it would never end.

"Sergio," she tugged at his shirt and he looked at her as if he were drawn out of hypnosis.

"You said you wanted to help with the novel," he muttered, confused.

"I know," she sighed. "I do. I just thought this would be a tad more exciting."

"Isn't it exciting? Look at all the notes I've got," he raised his notepad and flipped through all of the pages he had filled out with important information. Raquel let out a chuckle and linked her arm in his.

"You're such a nerd," she teased, shaking her head. "Since you've got all of this information already, you mind if we go find a bathroom?"

Sergio hesitated for a moment, glancing from her to the tour guide. When she raised him an eyebrow with a stern look on her face, he realized his error.

"Yes, of course," he complied, and let her guide him through the hallways. She decidedly walked through the Mint and after a few turns and stairs he was quite sure she didn't know where she was going. "Raquel, there was a bathroom right there."

"Oh, don't think for a second I didn't pay attention to the tour," Raquel said, leading him through another set of stairs. "I heard the guide mention a secluded part of the Mint right around..." She opened the door from the staircase to another hallway and pointed at a large black door. "Here."

She opened the door and took a peak inside before turning back to him.

"Come on," she said, tilting her head towards the bathroom.

"What?" Sergio replied, confused.

"Sergio, come on in," she sternly demanded and he hesitated for a second, but eventually followed her instruction.

He walked into the empty bathroom and Raquel entered after him, locking the door behind them. He turned around to look at her, both confused and nervous.

"Raquel, what are you doing?" He asked, and he felt the blood leave his head when she reached her hands under her skirt and pulled off her underwear, placing it on the doorknob and walking towards him, seductively licking her lips.

"I was thinking about the romance in your story," she said, pushing him against the wall. He gulped, unable to elicit a reaction. "How hot would it be if there was steamy sex scene in the Mint?"

She closed the distance between them in a kiss so intense it seemed to have been all she was thinking about for the past two hours. She let her hand wander from his chest to his stomach until it finally rushed inside his pants, grabbing a handful of his already hard bulge. She pulled away from the kiss to look up at him, lust crowning her eyes.

She smiled when he quietly understood her, switching their positions quickly to pin her up against the wall. He took a hand under her skirt and found her already moist center, slightly sliding his fingertip along her lips. She let out a shaky sigh and he smirked at her, leaning in to nibble the spot in her neck just below her ear.

"Something like this?" He muttered in a husky voice and felt like melting when he suddenly inserted a finger inside her. She moaned in response and he began swiftly moving his fingers in the way he had already learned she liked – the speed, the rhythm, the pressure points, how to tend to her clit. She let herself give in to him until she couldn't anymore.

" _Sergio_ ," she breathed out, sinking her fingernails on his back, and he nodded silently. She pulled down his pants and he pulled up her skirt and when he entered her, she felt her eyes roll to the back of her head in pleasure.

He sealed their distance with a kiss and slid inside her slowly before picking up speed and thrusting against her hard and fast. He bit her lip as she felt pleasure in every muscle and pore in her body, with Sergio inside of her, on top of her, against her. Their lips parted as she began to moan louder. In a few minutes, she climaxed and he followed. They stood like that for a while, Raquel pinned up to the wall, her legs around Sergio's waist, as they both regained their breaths.

"I would say this research trip was _very_ productive, wouldn't you?" Raquel teased, her fingers playing with his hair.

"There seemed to be a slight detour I wasn't expecting at the end of the trip," he softly said, letting out a chuckle as Raquel smiled at him. "But I'm not complaining. I found it very... inspiring."

"Good," she laughed. "Now you have something else to write about." 

* * *

_Four weeks later_

Cincinnati was born on the evening of July 10th. Raquel was in Madrid at the time, but rushed to Barcelona upon getting a call from Sergio that Mónica had been rushed to the hospital when her water broke. She managed to arrive at the hospital in three hours since the call and she greeted the entire group who sat in the waiting room, anxious for news. She sat down next to Sergio, her hand clasped with his, and she watched his expression closely.

"Are you okay?" She softly asked and he slowly turned himself to her.

"Yeah," he nodded, letting out a shaky sigh. "It's just... hospitals. They bring out a lot of memories. Most of them... not so good."

Raquel felt her breathing hitch as he nudged his glasses up his nose. She caressed his cheek tenderly and gave him a kiss before picking up her purse. She opened it, searched for her journal and flipped it open, ripping out a few pages from it and throwing the journal back in her purse again. She gave him one of the pages and took one for herself, placing the others next to her in her seat.

"Show me how to make those tsurus again?" Raquel pleaded, remembering how he had told her that it was the practice of origamis that his father taught him that made him calmer whenever he was anxious.

The way he looked up at her when he picked up the paper from her hand, so relieved and so touched that she had not only remembered it but that she _understood_ it – that she understood _him_. His eyes watered and she smiled at him, leaning in to kiss his lips again.

Then, she lightly tapped the paper in his hand.

"Tsurus, come on," she repeated with a chuckle and he obliged, showing her step by step of the way. She let herself be guided by him, even if he had already taught it to her several times, and when they finished their tsurus, she prompted him: "How about those cute little frogs?"

He smiled. They kept at it for half an hour, folding paper after paper until there was almost a zoo of origamis in her purse. She noticed how his shoulders had relaxed and he gratefully looked up at her.

"Thank you," he whispered. She nodded quietly and smiled at him.

All of a sudden, Ricardo appeared in the waiting room, raising his arms above his head in celebration.

"I'm a father!" He exclaimed and everyone stood up to hug him and celebrate the news. They waited for another half an hour before finally being able to take turns to go in Mónica's room.

Sergio and Raquel walked into the bedroom where Mónica held Cincinnati in her arms, clearly still emotional, and Ricardo stood next to her, barely able to contain his excitement. They approached the bed to glance at the new addition – a sleepy Cincinnati, his features so relaxed, his hands so small, his hair so thin.

"He's so beautiful, Mónica," Raquel offered, her eyes watering as well.

"Congratulations," Sergio softly said, unsure of what he should do exactly.

"Thank you, we're so glad you could be here," Mónica said, glancing over at Raquel, and then back at Ricardo. "Babe?"

"Oh, right, right," Ricardo grunted, standing up straight and staring at Sergio with a serious expression in his face. "Sergio, we would like you to be Cincinnati's godfather."

Sergio's eyes widened. His jaw dropped but he didn't know what to say. They all stared at him, waiting for a response, and Raquel had to gently tug at his hand for him to finally express a reaction.

"I, uh," Sergio began, exasperated. "Are you sure?"

Ricardo let out his trademark laughter and Mónica had to slightly slap him to remind him that their child was asleep.

"Professor," Mónica shook her head. "We couldn't have anyone else as Cinci's godfather. After everything you've done for us... We're sure you'll be great. If you want to, of course."

Sergio looked down at Raquel, who smiled at him and offered him the slightest shrug. She didn't say anything, but it was almost as if he could hear her thoughts.

"Okay," he finally said. "I would be honored."

* * *

_Two months later_

Raquel looked up from her laptop screen to glance at Sergio, who was very focused on the book he was reading, a knot creasing his forehead as his lips quietly moved to the words he took in. God, he was so handsome and he didn't even realize it.

He kept caressing her feet, which laid in his lap as she laid on the couch, with one hand, while the other held onto the book with one hand, clumsily turning each page the further he read. She unintentionally let out a chuckle and he looked up at her curiously.

"¿Qué?" He muttered, still dazed from being immersed in the book.

"Can you spare me a slice of your time?" She curved forward, tilting her head slightly and offering him an expression she knew he couldn't refuse – not that he would ever refuse her.

"Always," he fondly replied and the way her smile brightened up made him feel his chest contract.

"I finished a version of my script," she bit her bottom lip, suddenly nervous showing him the result of the last few weeks of her work. "Would you read it?"

"Of course," he said, so gently that she barely remembered being nervous at all. Although, when she gave him the laptop and he switched the book in his hand for it, she felt the nervousness install itself in her stomach again. She stood up from the couch and glanced down at him.

"I'm going to take a shower while you read it, okay?" She nervously explained, nearly tip toeing out of his living room.

She let the warm water run over her back. It had been a while since she had been this nervous in her life. Actually, the last time she had been this nervous was the night of the storm when she knocked on his door. She felt worried – what if he didn't like it? Would he see her in a different light? To her, admiration was always at the base of any relationship. What if she were just not good at it? Or what if the story wasn't good enough? What if all this time and energy she put into this project was just wasted?

She finished her shower, applied some peppermint moisturizer and put on her clothes. She did have to take a deep breath to get back to the living room, but she found him waiting for her, still on the couch.

"Hey, so," she approached him, sitting on the couch, her feet tucked under her. "What did you think?"

He placed the laptop on the table and turned back at her.

"Honestly? I think it's amazing," he assured her. "I mean, I know it's still fresh and you'll still tweak a few things here and there, but, Raquel, it's _good_ , it's honest, it's... raw. You have a powerful project in your hands."

"You really think so? You're not just saying that to spare me?" She questioned, her eyes expressing all her self-doubt. There were only five people in the world who she allowed to see her this vulnerable: her mother, her sister, her niece, Alicia and, now, Sergio.

"I would never lie to you," he said in such a tender voice that she instantly knew it was a promise. "It's _really,_ really good. Of course, I know next to nothing about movies, but I do know my literature and I think you've done a great job with the story and the characters."

She sighed in relief, a wave of content finally washed over her. She crawled her way over to him on the couch and straddled him, her hands on each side of his face as she shook her head, gazing at him lovingly.

"What have I done to deserve you?" She whispered and his reaction was to instantly chortle. Her face contorted into a half-smile, half-puzzled expression.

"I ask that to myself every single day," he explained and she shook her head, although the smile on her face was clear.

She leaned in and placed her lips on his, hoping to express how much he meant to her. This, right here, their little bubble, this relationship they had built together on trust, communication, admiration. This meant the world to her. When she pulled away to look back at him, she knew he understood. This meant the world to him too.

* * *

_Three months later_

There was nothing special about that day in particular.

It was just another day. In that week's rotation – because of course Sergio had proposed a rotation in their weekly visits – they were at Sergio's place, which was beginning to feel less and less like the place he had rented for himself all those years ago. Now, he had made room for Raquel's clothes in his closet and drawer. She had a toothbrush and a hairbrush in his bathroom; her own special mug in the cabinet over the sink.

They had gone out earlier that day, for lunch, and had spent the evening having drinks with Andrés and Martín. The rest of the night was uneventful, they had just leisurely sat at home, reading and talking and occasionally making out. They were laying together in bed now – each reading their own book in their shared domestic bliss.

Raquel had never thought she would get to experience something like this, a relationship that eased her other than troubled her. She never thought that being with someone could be so tranquil and secure, she never thought that after Alberto she would get to feel so safe and wanted and seen. Yet Sergio made her feel all of those things and more. She knew it with every fiber of her being, with every marrow in her bone. She couldn't risk not saying it – they had always been honest with each other.

She had been staring blankly at the same page for the past twenty minutes, wondering if she was hallucinating, if she were really going to be the one to say it first, to launch at the abyss without the certainty of an answer. But it wasn't like bungee jumping without a safety rope, she was sure he felt it too.

The clues were scattered everywhere, in the way he talked to her, the way he made love to her, even the way her name rolled out of his tongue. It was settled then, she would say it. But how?

"Sergio," she finally muttered, against her own will, putting down the book on the bed. He instantly turned to look at her and just from a glance at her expression he put down his own book.

"Is everything okay?" He asked when she failed to provide the words to follow his name.

"Yes, it's just..." She stuttered, shifting herself in bed to have a clearer view of him rather than just his profile. And when she looked at him – God, there was no question. No hesitation. She simply blurted out: "I love you."

His eyes widened, not in a state of shock, but rather in a child-like innocence that nearly asked: _are we allowed to say it now?_

His mouth opened before he could even understand what had just happened. He would usually mull something this big for weeks before finally saying it but hearing her say it, hearing her say it with such conviction, just gazing at _her_ , he was sure. He had never been more sure of anything in his life.

"I love you too," he said and she gave him a smile as warm as the sun.

There was nothing special about that day in particular, other than the fact she had spent it with him. And that was enough.

* * *

_Four months later_

For Raquel's birthday, her only wish was to spend it at her place with a homemade vegan paella, good wine and her friends and family. Alicia had taken upon herself the duty of organizing everything, much to Raquel's delight. This meant all she had to do was sit back and enjoy.

The guest list was short but perfect: from her family, it would just be her, her mother, her sister, Patricia, and Sabrina; from Madrid, only her closest friends, Ana, Cíntia and Elena; from Barcelona, Sergio and her newly acquired friends Ágata, Andrés, Martín, Aníbal, Ricardo, Mónica and Cincinatti. They had all arrived on Friday evening and Raquel insisted on renting two houses near hers so that they would all be within walking-distance of each other – the celebration would be on Saturday evening but they would make it a weekend-long extravaganza. At her place, there was only enough room for Sergio and her family.

There wasn't much else she could ask for – having everyone she cherished under the same roof celebrating another year of her life, a year that had granted her another chance at love and more opportunities in her career. The party was full of life, they ate, they talked, they laughed, they danced.

Raquel watched with utter happiness as Sergio mingled with Patricia and Sabrina; as Andrés took Mariví to the dance floor; as Ágata and Elena seemed to be hitting it off and as Cíntia offered to look after Cincinatti so that Ricardo and Mónica could enjoy the party carefree for a little while.

When Alicia brought out a cake with candles and they started singing to her, she couldn't even think of anything to wish for. What would you even wish for when all you want is within your reach?

Even so, she wished for everything to remain as it were, for her to remain as she was – happy.

After a shower, she joined Sergio in her bed as he waited for her with a wrapped gift on his hands.

"Sergio," she began, trying her hardest to feign a complaint. "I told you gifts weren't necessary."

"Yes, you did," he pondered, nodding. "But I had already gotten you a gift."

She glanced from him to the rectangle shape in front of her and she couldn't resist letting out an excited laugh, pulling it from his hands to open it.

She was taken back when she found a fancy briefcase and a notepad inside the gift wrap. She looked up at him, her mouth agape, and she simply shook her head.

"For you to work on your project," he said, nudging the glasses up his nose in that usual way.

"This is lovely," she muttered, running a finger on the engraved initials of her name on the cover of the briefcase. "It means so much to me to have you on my corner."

"Open it," he smiled at her knowingly and her eyebrow twitched in suspicion.

She obliged and, upon opening the brief case, she found a book inside it. She pulled it out and couldn't believe what she was holding – a limited edition poetry book by Pablo Neruda. But it wasn't just the book, it was marked and filled with so many colored post-it notes that it had almost gained a third of it's volume.

"I started writing down along the parts that reminded me of you somehow," he explained as she opened the book. "As you can see, I got a little carried away."

She took the time to read one of the notes in a random page – it was next to one of Neruda's most famous poems, entitled " _I do not love you_ ". Next to a verse that read "thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance, risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body", Sergio had written on a yellow post it note: "no thank you will ever suffice".

She felt tears threaten to inundate and she glanced up at him with genuine affection.

"Sergio, I..." She carefully closed the book in her hands as if it were a precious glass chest and made her way towards him on the bed, her eyes tearful and a smile so big she felt her cheeks hurt. She was honestly taken back by the thoughtfulness of his gift, the time and dedication he had devoted to _her_. She couldn't say she was surprised, but she was indeed honored. "It's perfect," she finally muttered, leaning in to brush her lips against his. "Utterly, completely perfect," she continued in between kisses. "The best birthday gift ever."

* * *

_Five months later_

Sergio was inspired. He had managed to write three chapters of his novel in two weeks – it was a feat that even he couldn't deny, since he would normally take twice as long to write a third of it and feel like it had been all in vain, erasing the file as soon as he had written it. However, he was not only inspired, he was _confident_ in his work and there was not a shred of doubt in him that it was all due to his muse.

He was furiously writing away on his computer when a notification popped up, a video chat call from Raquel, as if she had listened to his thoughts. He promptly accepted the call and when her face showed up on the screen in front of him, a goofy smile appeared on his face.

"Hey," he finally said, waiting to make sure their call had been connected.

"Hi, cariño," she joyfully replied, a beaming smile on her face. "How are you?"

"Good – I was actually writing just now," he said, resting his elbows on the kitchen counter.

"Oh, sorry to interrupt you," she frowned, aware of how important these spurge of creativities were.

"You're never an interruption," he muttered and just as he finished speaking, he realized how cheesy it sounded, but Raquel didn't seem to mind. "How are you?"

"Great, actually, that's why I'm calling you, I have _such_ great news, I wanted you to be the first to hear it!" She sighed, taking a moment to catch her breath. "Okay, so all these meetings with the production company? They've secured financing for the project."

"Holy shit, Raquel," he let out involuntarily as his eyes widened. "That is amazing!"

"I know, right? I can't believe it, they said they want to start pre-production and casting calls right away so that we can shoot in two months and hopefully get it done in time for festival season," Raquel explained, barely containing her excitement. "And you wanna know the best part?"

Sergio raised his hands, prompting her to fill in the suspense.

"Our location is Barcelona," she said, biting her lower lip, witnessing the exact moment he chuckled in disbelief. She didn't wait for him to reply before asking: "Mind if I crash in your place for a few months?"


	19. Gatekeeper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, thank you so much for all the lovely comments you left on the last chapter! I will reply each and every one of them soon, but you guys really are the sweetest <3
> 
> I would have posted this chapter earlier, but as I was approaching the end of it my computer shut down and I lost half of it sooo that was a bummer lol
> 
> Anywayyy, two familiar faces from the show pop up in this chapter! One is a cameo and one gets a small arc. Can you guess who it is before they appear?

Sergio was a man of habits. He liked structure, routine, control. He liked having the same exact spot where he would put his glasses on his nightstand, he liked getting up early to read the news before starting his day. He was used to it, from the round ups in the hospitals to the schedule of his meals and pills. He grew fond of it when he begged his father to be homeschooled and, when he eventually went to college and postgrad, he needed a fixated schedule to manage studying and working part time. And even after he left his postgrad studies to help his sick father at the bookstore, he grew accostumed to a new routine, much like the one he knew from his childhood if the roles were not reversed – now it was his father who needed intensive care.

When his father passed away, structure was all he had to hold onto. Every work day for the past five years, his routine was more or less the same: get up early, make coffee, read the news while having breakfast, take a shower, go to work, get home from work, shower, have dinner and lie in bed with a book. However, for the past two weeks, his routine had changed so suddenly and so easily that this was the first day he had actually noticed it.

It dawned on him as he unlocked the front door to his place and, upon finding Raquel carefully setting up the dinner table wearing only his shirt and underwear, her hair still damp from the shower, he let out a content sigh. Knowing he would get home to see her again made it a little less difficult to leave her in the morning. She glanced up at him with a smile and hurried to place a kiss on his lips.

"Hi," she whispered before pulling him in for another kiss. "How was your day?"

"I talked to Andrés about your idea for the shop," Sergio replied, sliding his arms around her waist. "He is on board," he added. Raquel smiled at him bashfully.

"That's great, cariño," she offered. "I'm here to help you, whatever you need," she stressed, giving him a light peck on the lips. "How are you?"

"Definitely better now," Sergio smiled. It was honestly absurd how beautiful she always looked, how lucky he was to have found her, how luckier he got that her project got stationed in Barcelona.

"I made some _escudella_ ," she announced, her hand leisurely caressing his beard. He started placing kisses on her cheek and neck and she giggled at the tickles from his beard against her skin.

"It can't be as good as this," he muttered with his lips brushing on her earlobe and she let out a wistful sigh.

"It's going to get cold," she warned him, although her voice showed no hint of interest in the food and her hand had already slipped under his shirt to caress his back.

"I can reheat it," he simply offered after another kiss, sliding his hands down her thighs and picking her up as her legs circled around his waist. She smiled with no restraints to give into his touch.

Yes, Sergio was a man of habits. But this? This was the new normal. And he couldn't be happier about it.

* * *

Raquel had been in several relationships throughout her life. There was Tomás, her first boyfriend in middle school, the one she went to second base with and the one who traded her for a cooler, older, more popular girl. There was Paulo, her high school boyfriend, with whom she lost her virginity with – the one she introduced to her mom and who came out to her during a school camping trip. In college there were many boys but not one worthy of a serious relationship. And in her senior year, there was Igor, the musician who wrote a song for her and then decided for both of them they were in an open relationship. When she started acting, there were a few more – Drake, the North American model turned actor; Hugo, the director of photography of a campaign she was hired for; Justin, the French producer she dated for a couple of years; and Alberto, the abusive prick who nearly destroyed her career.

After Alberto, she had swore to herself she wouldn't date any other man, yet here she was, staying over at her current boyfriend's place in Barcelona.

However, and this was the most important thing: her heart was secure and tranquil – she was not the woman she was before Alberto and Sergio was not just any other man. He was the one who awakened her to feel love and to feel loved like in no other relationship before him. He was intelligent and kind and gentle and he would hurt himself before hurting anyone else. He was supportive of her and her work, he was a family-oriented person: he actually enjoyed – rather than just endured – spending time with her family.

There he was with Ricardo and Agustín, Ricardo's father, measuring spaces in the walls and planning how to redecorate the shop to fit in shelves, tables and chairs. Agustín was a carpenter and his expertise was coming in very handy with the renovations planned for Hanoi. A few weeks prior she had suggested to Sergio, who was once again worried for his father's shop longevity, that he could adapt the place into a coffee shop, attracting more people to the shop and hosting small events catered to the literary scene in Barcelona. That had to be one of the things she loved the most about their relationship: their ability to see and help one another whenever needed. She was good at being alone and doing her own thing, but it was good not to be lonely. It was good to have a sounding board, someone who would listen and give their input as if it were his own idea on the line.

She must have been drooling while she stared at him, all these thoughts racing through her mind, because she only regained conscience of where she was when Mónica let out a low sigh, careful enough not to shift too much that she would wake up the sleeping Cinci in her arms.

"Oh, how good it is to be in love," the blonde chuckled and Raquel glanced in her direction as if she were taken out of a trance. Here she was, sitting at Hanoi with her notepad and laptop open, an empty cup of coffee in front of her and barely any work done because she kept drifting her gaze back to Sergio.

"That obvious, huh?" Raquel jokingly winced and Mónica just smiled, shaking her head. Who was Raquel kidding when she said she was going to Hanoi for a change of scenery earlier that day?

"Can I tell you a secret?" Mónica whispered, glancing at her husband and Sergio before her gaze fell back at Raquel. "I've never seen Sergio so happy."

Raquel offered her a genuine smile. She loved being a part of Sergio's happiness, but she wondered sometimes what he was like before her. Was he unhappy? Or was he just going through the motions, neither happy nor sad? 

“Oh, I meant to ask,” the blonde inadvertently intervened her thoughts. “How is your mom?"

“Um,” Raquel snapped herself back into reality, anchoring herself in her chair not to get as emotional as she often did when her mother was brought up. “She’s well. Totally recovered from the fall, we’ve made all the adjustments to the house, hired someone to care for her on the daily basis, got her on a vegan diet… The doctors said it might take years for her to actually start forgetting stuff, so right now we’re focused on dealing with the depression that spurred from the diagnosis.”

“It must be hard, being away from her,” her friend pondered. “But I’m sure she’s happy for you.”

“She really is,” Raquel smiled.

"Ugh, do you smell that?" Mónica winced, sniffing Cinci, who in turn was letting out small groans and shifting himself on his mother's arms. "This is what I get for giving you unconditional love, Cinci?" She feigned complaint in a baby voice, smiling at him while getting up from her seat.

"Do you want me to get it?" Raquel offered, but her friend had already put the strap of the diaper bag on her shoulder and shook her head.

"Focus on your work, mi hermana," the blonde countered, lifting an eyebrow in acknowledgement of her friend's duties. "That is, if you can," she smirked, looking up at Sergio, and Raquel chuckled as she left for the bathroom.

There was also this: with Sergio came his chosen family, these people who had become so dear to her, especially the women she had gotten so close to. It was hard to make new friends after stardom, but Ágata and Mónica had been truly so open to her – especially after she arrived in Barcelona. They invited her for brunches, they had girls' nights out, Ágata would show up with a bottle of wine to ask for advice on dating while Sergio just listened and nodded, and Mónica would ask them to look after Cinci every once in a while so she could have a date night with Ricardo. It was good to have the feeling of family while she was away from her own, it was good that she didn't feel restrained into a nest with Sergio because the feeling of isolation was the most enduring aspect of her relationship with Alberto.

Raquel took a deep breath, shaking her head and attempting to focus on the script pages open in her notebook. It was hard writing about an abusive relationship after living through one, but it was necessary. 

Sometimes she had to remind herself that she wasn’t writing about herself, she was writing about Inspectora Vera, one woman in a sea of police men who had to go through with a claim of domestic violence against one of her colleagues. Sergio had suggested she set the story within the realms of police workers and she was so glad she had listened – both the film industry and police stations were just brimming with sexism and proved to be a complex reflection of society. If both those who entertain and those who are supposed to serve and protect couldn’t believe a woman and recognize the men who should face the consequences of their actions, how would anybody else?

At the same time Raquel felt good about her script, she felt immense pressure. She felt like she needed to contemplate the nuances of a woman in an abusive relationship, in all her imperfect glory. She found herself questioning her own motives, her own desires, her own excuses – that she had made for Alberto, at the time of their relationship, and for herself, as she was dealing with her own guilt. 

She and Alicia also went through a phase of extensive research to write the project and pitching for the film – the numbers they had found on abusive relationships and domestic violence were astounding, and that was only counting the women who had come forward. She decided then and there that her project was personal, but it was also political. It wasn’t about getting revenge on Alberto. It was about her and all the women who had been through abusive relationships – especially dedicated to those who had not survived it. This? This was her manifesto.

With power in her ignition, she began to furiously rewrite a scene from the script. She was so focused she didn’t notice when Sergio walked up behind her. He must have waited for her to pause the furious typing because it was only when she took a breath that she felt his hands rest on her shoulders, slowly and vigorously massaging her tense neck.

She hummed with pleasure and he leaned in to place a kiss just below her ear.

“You good?” He asked in a low voice, concerned because he knew how writing this had taken a toll on her.

She smiled, sliding a hand around his neck to pull him further against her.

“This is better,” she said, turning her head to give him a peck on the lips. He quickly began to trail kisses along her neck and shoulder.

“We should both get back to work,” Sergio added, sinking his nose into the crook of her neck as she caressed his hair. In response, she just groaned.

It took her phone to vibrate on the top of the table for her to finally snap out of the comfort Sergio's touch ignited in her. She glanced at the screen upon making out Alicia's contact name and let out a deep sigh.

2:43 PM <<Got the reviewed scene for me? Scheduled auditions for Friday 2 PM.>>

"You're right, we should get back to work," she wistfully admitted, gently patting him on the shoulder.

He stood up straight, picking up the empty mug in front of her.

“More coffee?” He asked and she looked up at him with a sparkle in her eyes.

“You really are the man of my dreams,” she lulled. He chuckled, but Raquel hoped that in the back of his mind, he knew she meant it too.

* * *

Raquel knew it would be a big wedding, but this? This was _grandiose_.

She should've known in hindsight – this was Andrés and Martín they were talking about and they were not sparing anything from their celebration.

They had rented out a place in Toledo for the wedding, an old house with enough rooms for family and close friends to stay over for the night of the wedding, a pompous altar with several chairs for the ceremony and they had set up a big tent in the enormous backyard for the party – there were over 100 guests, but the overall atmosphere was one of happiness and celebration.

The ceremony was short and sweet. Sergio walked Andrés to the altar, where he stood with him as his best man, his eyes filled with tears that he earnestly attempted to fight back. Martín walked up to the altar with his mother, a short white-haired woman whose eyes were barely open from crying.

They had asked Ágata to officiate their union and she had proudly held up her end of the bargain by delivering a chilling speech on how they have taught her about love and how it was much like building a home: there was first the need to lay out the structure for the foundation, then build the house and only then fill it with all the things that make it a home.

Her speech brought tears to Raquel’s eyes and when she glanced at Sergio, she saw that his eyes were already glued on her. They smiled at each other knowingly, a silent communication that they had developed throughout these past months rather skillfully.

They met each other again after the photoshoot, next to the tent where the party had already begun, and Raquel had been waiting for him with a champagne flute in hand. Sergio approached her with a smile on his face, sliding a hand around her waist and pulling her in for a quick kiss.

“It’s nice being the one in the backstage for a change,” she pondered, referring to his duties as best man and brother-of-the-groom. 

“I can’t say the same about being in front of a camera,” Sergio nervously replied and she smiled, leading him onto the dance floor.

“Come on, dance with me,” she promptly asked, pulling him by the hand and placing her glass in a nearby table as they walked towards the center of the tent.

She could tell he hesitated, but nevertheless he didn’t deny her request and she appreciated him deeply for it. He turned a palm up and she slipped her hand into his, his other hand holding her on the small of her back, just like she had taught him. They began moving sideways slowly, following the rhythm of the song.

“This is all so beautiful,” Raquel muttered, eyes traveling around the decor.

Sergio suddenly gulped, his feet stopped moving and Raquel had to glance back at him to make sure he was okay. It was only then she noticed the look on his face and it was a testimony to their relationship, really, that she simply caressed his shoulder and neck as his eyes glued to his shoes, patiently awaiting for him to reveal his worry.

“Have you thought about marriage?” He finally asked, wincing after he uttered the words as if he had said something wrong. Her eyes widened – she was _not_ expecting this – but she smiled nevertheless.

“Honestly, I didn’t think it was something that would happen to me…” She said, sliding her hands around his neck and placing a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth. “But circumstances have changed."

His gaze suddenly shifted towards her and she offered him a reassuring smile.

“I’m not a fan of big parties, but maybe something small and intimate. Maybe at a beach… Just family and close friends,” she continued, tilting her head at his red cheeks. “How about you?"

“I never thought about it either,” Sergio confessed, flustered. “Not until…” He stopped on his tracks when he looked into her eyes. “God, there’s so much I never thought about until I met you.”

Raquel felt her eyes water and bit her bottom lip in an attempt to hide her smile.

“Well, there’s plenty of time for everything in the future,” she announced matter-of-factly. “Right now, I just want to dance with my boyfriend and possibly get drunk afterwards.”

Sergio nodded with a chuckle, slowly resuming their side steps until they evolved into a slow dance.

“I love you,” Raquel whispered, leaning her head on the crook of his neck as they swayed.

Sergio placed a kiss on the top of her head and pulled her closer into him. Under his breath, he muttered so only her could hear it: “I love you too”.

* * *

Sergio had never given much thought into what happened at the backstage of a film production. Being able to watch Raquel work on her film for the past months had been eye-opening, truly. There were times when Raquel was ecstatic, there were times when she would curl up next to him and cry of exhaustion.

The one thing that was certain was that, in spite of the bad days, Raquel truly loved what she was doing. In fact, watching her work so passionately made several questions spur in Sergio’s mind, the core question being: should he be working with something his heart isn’t in just out of obligation to his father?

He had brought that up with Raquel a couple of times now, and she had vocalized her opinion that maybe he should take a breather from the store, now that the renovations were done, to figure out what he wants to focus on. He had decided to go for the hiatus, but he still had matters to discuss with Andrés and Ricardo.

But tonight wasn’t the night to focus on his career. Tonight they would celebrate Raquel’s film. Raquel had told him the party was only for the cast, crew and their significant others, but he had not expected such a big crowd. Sergio had never been to any film industry party before, so he opted for a safe dark grey tux and a green tie and he was happy to see he wasn’t either over or underdressed.

He spotted Raquel on the crowd, talking to Alicia in a corner, and he shook his head in disbelief as he took in how beautiful she looked in that velvet green gown. She looked up just in time to lock her eyes with his and quickly excused herself to greet him.

“Hi, cariño,” she said, leaning in to kiss him delicately. “You look dashing.”

“You look spectacular,” he muttered back, feeling her hands drop from his neck to his green tie.

“We’re matching,” she smiled, tugging at his tie playfully to give him another kiss. “I want to introduce you to everyone. Are you ready?”

Sergio sighed deeply. He had prepared himself psychologically for this moment throughout the entire week.

It took a few laps around the restaurant, but he eventually met the people Raquel worked closest to. Among them, he spent some time catching up with Alicia; met Uli, Raquel’s assistant director; and Blanca Sorino, an upcoming actress who was going to play a younger version of the lead role, which would be played by Raquel herself.

Raquel was standing a few feet away, talking to Uli, while Sergio was actually talking to Blanca – both of them had been raving about Raquel for the past ten minutes as they shared a glass of wine – when a middle aged man approached her. Sergio noticed the man’s hand go behind Blanca, and lifted his gaze in time to see her awkwardly shield herself away from the man’s touch.

“Excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom,” Blanca said, turning her head to Sergio and walking past the man in a hurry. He turned around to finally acknowledge Sergio’s presence with curiosity.

“Hi, I’m Arturo Román,” the man said, raising a hand to grab a wine glass from the waiter’s tray as he passed by. “I don’t think we’ve met.”

“Sergio Marquina,” he quietly responded, unwilling to actually engage with him after witnessing such a weird scene in front of him.

“ _You’re_ the famous Sergio I keep hearing so much about?” Arturo asked, in a tone that gave away his disdain before the sentiment reached his eyes. Unabashed, he continued: “You’re not what I was expecting.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sergio asked, a frown framing his expression.

Arturo gulped a large dose of his wine, shrugging his shoulders. Judging by the looks of it, he had been gulping on several of those glasses for the better part of the evening.

“I’m sorry, what is your role on the project exactly?” Sergio countered, eager to understand who this man was.

“Oh, I’m playing Inspector Valencia,” Arturo smirked, as if he were just waiting for the cue. “You know, the one who will be making out with your girlfriend on camera. Tell me, is she a good kisser?”

Sergio felt rage surge in him, making his skin palpably hot and his teeth gritted. All he heard was the noise of glass breaking and Raquel suddenly hovering over him. Her voice was distant at first, but he was eventually able to make out the words she was saying.

“Sergio, are you okay?” She asked, taking his hand for her to inspect closely. It was only then he noticed his hand was bleeding, broken glass scattered all over the floor. He looked up in search of Arturo, but he was no longer standing in front of him. “What happened?"

Finally, Sergio glanced down at his hand and looked up at Raquel.

“I’m not exactly sure,” he muttered back. “I think my blood pressure went down or something, I’m okay, really,” he guaranteed, squeezing her arm with his clean hand.

“Well, let’s go wash your hand and make sure there are no shards. I’m letting you know in hindsight that if the cut is too deep we are going to the hospital,” Raquel gently scolded, ushering him to the bathroom.

“I’m sorry, this is your night,” he shook his head. “Let me handle this, I’m okay.”

Raquel looked at him as if he were speaking Greek.

“Sergio, I’m not going anywhere until we bandage this cut, got it?” Her eyebrows raised at him defiantly.

“Got it,” he nodded, looking around for Arturo as they walked towards the bathroom, but he was nowhere to be found.

Had he imagined those things Arturo said? Or was he just talking like that because he was really drunk? And what had happened between him and Blanca?

He debated wether to tell Raquel then and there but eventually decided that, yes, she needed to know, but this was not the place nor the time. This was a celebration of all that she had been able to conquer on her own and he didn’t want to be the one to rain on her parade. 

Sergio waited to talk to Raquel in the following morning, while they were eating breakfast together. She listened attentively, her brow furrowed and lips pursed as she ruminated Sergio’s recollection of last night’s events. There was a moment of silence as she wrapped her head around it. Why was it that wherever she went, shitty men followed?

“I hadn’t noticed anything between Arturo and Blanca,” she quietly confessed, eyes lost on the table in front of her. “God, I’ve been so focused on the project that I couldn’t even notice it. What if he–”

She stopped on her tracks and buried her face on her own hands. She sighed deeply, massaging her forehead and temples. Then, she looked up at Sergio, her eyes full of pain.

“I’m sorry he was so condescending towards you,” she shook her head in disbelief.

“It’s okay,” Sergio stretched his bandaged hand out in support, grabbing hers and softly smiling. “I didn’t want to ruin your night, but I… I thought you should know. I’m not quite sure of what I saw, but–”

“No, you’re right, thank you,” she bit her bottom lip. “Shooting starts in a week. We have on set rehearsal today and I just…”

She suddenly hushed, engines behind her eyes.

“Raquel?” Sergio prompted and she only raised her index finger in return, her mouth parting open as if she were finishing her thoughts.

“I have a plan,” she finally replied as he watched her with worry in his face. “But you’re not gonna like it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Full disclosure: I fucking hate Arturo on the show so I thought it would be fun to express my hatred in the story as well, lol.


	20. Truth Hurts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter may be triggering to anyone who has experienced sexual assault or abuse. It doesn't feature any explicit sexual assault, but there is talk of it and a sensitive scene.

“I don’t like it,” Sergio breathed out, concerned, once he heard Raquel’s plan.

She had figured as much, she had just told him so, but she could not turn a blind eye to the situation at hand. She had to do something about it. If not her, the one in charge of the film, who would? She was the director, she was the executive producer, she was the main actress. How could she live with herself if she didn’t do anything about it? Not only as an abuse survivor, but as a woman?

Nevertheless, she tried to calm his nerves, as he had already started to snap his knuckles nervously.

“Maybe we won’t have to come to it,” Raquel pondered, in a shrug. “Maybe Blanca will jump at the opportunity to go against him.”

Unfortunately, she didn’t actually believe those and this was the only she had ever hated that he could see her so clearly. He tilted his head, knowingly, an eyebrow lifted in retort.

“What if she doesn’t? I mean, why would you even think of all of this if you honestly thought she would want to pursue this?” Sergio asked, nudging his glasses up with his index finger. He was beginning to get agitated, she knew it. She could almost see, in the reflection of his glasses, his mind going through all the possible outcomes of the plan – mostly the ones that ended up with her being hurt.

But she couldn’t lie to him. She could never, ever lie to him. So she relented, with a deep sigh.

“You’re right,” she replied, nodding. “I don’t actually think she’s going to pursue this. Not because she doesn’t want to, but because she is afraid. And I can’t blame her for that, Sergio,” she continued, taking her hand in his, hoping that he would understand. “I’ve been there. That’s why I want to offer her an out either way.”

It was his turn to let out a sigh. He put both his hands around hers, gently stroking her skin as he glanced at her.

“With a plan that puts you at risk?” His voice was stern, but gentle. He tried to convey to her that he _understood_ , but that there were instances where this could not work out. Actually, there were many instances where this could go horribly wrong.

“I’m a grown woman,” she replied, mirroring his tone. Then, she added, knowing for a fact she was going in for the jugular: “She’s a kid. She’s barely 18.”

Sergio exhaled, giving her hand a squeeze before letting her go, bringing his left hand to his forehead to massage his temple. She could see him trying to squeeze the bad outcomes out of his brain, but it seemed impossible. She got it – she had them in the back of her mind too. Finally, he rested his hands on the table.

“Well, what if the plan goes south?” He asked.

“I didn’t tell you this before but…” She bit the inside of her cheek and watched as he leaned in, attentive. “After what happened with Alberto at the hotel, I took some classes. Self-defense. Taekwondo. Krav Maga. If the plan goes south…” She trailed off for a moment, until she let out a half-chuckle, unable to come up with a better phrase. “I kick his ass.”

“That’s not funny,” he said, crooking his head with a serious look on his face.

“I know, cariño,” Raquel said, her tone suddenly gentle, as she got up from her chair and walked up to him, sitting on his lap. “Look…” She brought a hand to his face, slowly caressing his hair, his cheek, his beard. He momentarily closed his eyes at her touch, before opening them again to look up at her. “I love that you care and that you worry… But I’m not asking for your permission.”

Sergio felt the words hit him like a thousand blades. He knew they were coming at some point, and he knew she was right.

“Sure,” he barely uttered, giving her the smallest nod. “I know. Can I– Can I at least… go with you?”

She tilted her head at him, offering him a soft smile, her thumb grazing his cheek.

“You know you can’t,” she said. “I got this, Sergio,” she whispered, smiling at him, even though there was worry behind her eyes as well.

“I know, I know. Just… be careful?” He said, his hands rubbing her thigh and then her back.

She chuckled, relieved that they didn’t have to fight over this, that he got it. He was worried, but he got it.

“Of course,” she said, pressing her lips against his to seal their deal. “I have to go now. See you tonight before we hit Hanoi’s, okay?”

* * *

More than any other day, Raquel was a woman with a to do list. She had met up with Alicia on her way over to the set and updated her on the situation and on her plan. Alicia looked at her, with the same look of worry Sergio had on his face, but she knew better than to go against her bullheaded friend, so she simply asked what she could do to help.

Next, she searched for Blanca. She found her in a backstage room and asked Lorena, the make up artist, to excuse them for a moment. Raquel was careful with her choice of words. She told Blanca she wasn’t in any trouble. She didn’t mention Sergio at all – instead, she told her _she_ was the one who noticed the interaction between her and Arturo. She asked Blanca if she had seen anything about her relationship with Alberto and shortly described what it was like for her. Eventually, Blanca began tearing up and Raquel had to hold back her tears as she held her hand.

Blanca said she had approached Arturo as a colleague and as a fan, and that he showed himself so supportive and kind by offering to mentor her that she didn’t even see any red flags when he offered to go to her hotel room to go over some scenes. _He tried to kiss me. I told him I didn’t see him like that. I said no._

Raquel listened quietly while Blanca opened up, holding her gaze and her hand in her own. When the girl’s voice faded in describing what he had done next, Raquel squeezed her hand. She told Blanca what she wished she had heard the first time she told someone about Alberto: that it wasn’t her fault, that she was not to blame. That what he had done to her was an abuse of power, a crime and it was unacceptable.

Finally, she asked Blanca how she wished to proceed. Raquel told her she had options, but ultimately it was _her_ choice. Something would be done either way, Blanca just needed to say how involved she wanted to be in it. She pondered quietly for a moment, before looking up to Raquel.

“I know I should go after him, but I just…” Blanca trailed off, tears still formed in the corner of her eyes.

“There’s no _should_ here, Blanca,” Raquel said, her voice sweet and reassuring. “If it doesn’t feel right for you, you can just say the word and I’ll handle it.”

“Really?” The girl glanced up at her as if she were the sun. Raquel softly smiled at her.

“Really,” she assured. “I just need to know that you’re okay with how it’s handled.”

Blanca nodded in silence, her gaze fixated on the carpet as she ruminated her options. But there was fire in her eyes when she looked up at Raquel once again.

“Yeah,” she finally said, her voice gaining momentum. “Squash that motherfucker.”

Raquel smiled and pulled her in for a tight hug. That was all she needed to hear.

* * *

Raquel went to Alicia after talking to Blanca to let her know the plan was a go. She found her next to catering service, grabbing a handful of trail mix and dousing another dose of coffee, her phone always in her hand. At this point, Alicia was nearly a cyborg with her electronic gadgets and mathematical thinking. Raquel picked up a cup of coffee and approached her.

“So?” Alicia raised her eyebrows, concerned.

“Yeah,” Raquel sighed, frustrated that something like that had happened under her own supervision. Alicia looked at her like she was reading her thoughts.

“Hey,” she called out, snapping her fingers in front of her. “This is not your fault either, get your mind out of the gutter. We got shit to do, right?”

“Right,” Raquel gratefully chortled, putting her game face on. “Did you make the call?”

“Yep, she’ll be at Hanoi’s tonight,” the red haired confirmed. “She’s been briefed.”

“Okay. How much time do we have until the rehearsal starts?” Raquel asked, reaching for the phone in her back pocket.

“40 minutes. You’re all set in your dressing room,” Alicia replied, putting down her coffee to inspect a closer look at her friend. “Raquel. I’m only going to ask this once: you’re really sure you want to do this?”

Raquel looked at her friend, and while there was a small part of her that was worried about this specific part of the plan, she knew it was the best course of action. She couldn’t turn back now.

“I’m sure,” she nodded.

“Okay,” Alicia simply said. “I’ll go find him.”

As Alicia left, Raquel marched back to her dressing room. She glanced around until she noticed a flower vase and a teddy bear next to the make up station. She smiled at Alicia’s brilliant mind before a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach made her breath in and out in an attempt to regain her clarity.

There was a knock on the door and she suddenly knew there was nowhere else to go from here.

“Come on in,” she said and Arturo opened the door with a smug smile on his face. If she could really pull this off, it was really a testimony to her acting skills. “Good morning.”

“Buenos días,” he replied, his hand still on the doorknob. “You wanted to see me before rehearsal?”

“Yeah, just a check-in,” she motioned for him to come in. He gladly did, closing the door behind him. He glanced briefly at the flowers and stuffed bear in her table.

“Where did that come from?” He pointed and she pretended not to know what he was talking about, turning her head to glance at the pointed direction.

“Oh,” she chuckled, looking back at him. “A gift from Sergio, for the first day of rehearsals.”

Arturo smirked, putting his hands inside his pocket.

“What?” She asked, lifting an eyebrow at him.

“Kind of cheesy, but cute,” he retorted. “I met him at the party last night, you know?”

“Really?” Raquel faked a smile, leaning against the table as a reminder not to throw a punch at him.

“He’s… not what I expected,” Arturo shrugged, approaching her slowly.

She was both relieved and worried that he was biting the bait – was being in a room alone with him all it took for him to turn a woman into a prey? How many more women had he done it to?

“I don’t understand,” Raquel tilted her head, frozen in her position. “What did you expect?”

“You know, you’re a strong woman,” he said, continuing to step towards her. “I thought you liked strong men,” she felt nauseated as the words left his mouth.

She instantly knew that he was referring to Alberto, she knew he was implying that she _liked_ being hurt by him. She had to remind herself that this was about Blanca or she would have already ripped throat apart.

He nearly closed the distance between them, placing his hands on the table on each side of her.

“Arturo, I think you misread the situation,” she said, leaning away from him and tensing up at his nearness, but he didn’t move.

“Yeah? Why did you call me here then?” He asked, eyeing her up and down as she swallowed her disgust.

“I wanted to talk to you about your so-called _rendezvous_ with our colleague,” she said, careful not to say Blanca’s name.

Arturo chuckled. “Why? Are you jealous? You can get some too,” he lifted a hand to her face and she instantly grabbed his wrist.

“I said no,” Raquel spat out through gritted teeth. “Like _she_ did.”

“You all say no when you mean yes,” he rolled his eyes, yanking his wrist away from her grip and using his force to pin her hands to the table. “All women like playing hard to get.”

She couldn’t hold back her anger anymore.

“Are you forgetting I’m your boss here?” Raquel firmly asked, trying to let go from him.

“Makes it hotter,” he grunted, leaning in to kiss her. She let herself go from his tightening grip and shoved her palm under his chin. He stumbled back, startled by her physical reaction, and she grabbed his hand, bending him forward to shove her knee in his groin.

He fell down on his own knees, his hands over his groin, as he groaned in pain.

“By the way? You’re fired,” she firmly grunted as she marched to the door, yanking it open and signaling for someone to come in.

Two men from her security team came in to drag Arturo out of the set as he tried to mumble something under his breath. One of the men said something to him in Serbian and although he couldn’t understand what it was, the tone was menacing enough that he stopped his attempt to say anything.

The entire crew and cast watched, confused as to what was happening. A few of them took out their phones to film and photograph the scene, but Raquel could care less about that by now.

Alicia looked at her proudly and Raquel looked around the closed set searching for Blanca. When she finally did find her in the crowd and saw her thankful smile, she let out a shaky breath.

That was it. That had to be the worst of it and it was done. And it was all worth it to see the grateful look on Blanca’s face.

* * *

Although Alicia gave her that option, Raquel decided not to delay the rehearsal. She told the cast and crew that Arturo had been fired and while she wished she could disclose the situation to them, she couldn’t do so as of yet due to judiciary procedures.

Also due to their contractual obligations, they were not allowed to discuss this matter or divulge videos or photos of Arturo’s security escort with anyone. She had already reached out to Xavier Toro, a fellow actor she had already worked with and who was pleased to fill in for Arturo's role, and while he could only come in the next day, they would rehearse today all the scenes in the schedule that didn’t concern him.

Blanca approached Raquel at the end of the day in her dressing room, giving her the warmest hug and an effusive thank you. Raquel stressed to her that this wasn’t over yet, that when this leaked to the press she was very likely to be bombarded with questions regarding Arturo but that her name would be purged from the story as long as she wanted to keep it that way.

All Raquel wanted to do today was crawl into the bed and hide in Sergio’s arms, but she knew this was an important evening for him – the soft opening of the renewed Hanoi. He had been working so hard and he was so excited to give Hanoi a new face. Yet, she turned the keys at Sergio’s place to find him sitting on the couch in his briefs and a white shirt.

“Finally,” he breathed out, exasperated, getting up from the couch to meet her by the door. “I got your text. You okay?”

Raquel closed the door behind her and felt the weight of the world being released from her shoulders as all the tears she didn’t even know she had been holding back all day inundated her. She dropped her bag on the floor and walked over to Sergio, burying her face in his chest and circling her arms around him.

He held her close as she cried, running a hand through her hair, kissing the top of her head, whispering soothing words to comfort her while he rubbed a hand up and down her back. They stood like that for what felt like forever, until her tears finally ran dry. She squeezed him tightly and looked up at him, her eyes sorrowful and grateful at the same time.

“Thank you,” she whispered, her hand cupping the side of his face. “It was hard, but... it went as planned.”

“And you’re…?” He pondered, unable to complete the sentence. Even if she were physically unscathed as she appeared, how could she be okay?

She sighed. “I’m much better now,” she replied, leaning her head against his chest again, filling her lungs with his scent and the feeling of home.

“You wanna ditch the opening? We can–”

“What?” She craned her neck to look up at him, cleaning the tracks of tears from her face and fixing her posture. “No, no, of course not.”

“Really, I’d much rather be with you,” he said and she shook her head, offering him a smile.

“Then you better get dressed because _I_ , for one, am going to the opening,” she pressed her lips against his and unwillingly broke away from his hug to retrieve her bag from the floor.

“You’re 100% sure?” He confirmed, raising his eyebrows at her in suspicion.

“110%-ish,” she replied, lifting a hand to express the round-up and disappearing into his bedroom.

He sighed deeply, certain that she was only doing so for him. As he heard the water from the shower, he wondered when she would tell him what had happened earlier. He wondered if she would tell him everything about Arturo. He wondered if he actually wanted to know.

“Are you dressed yet?!” She shouted from the bathroom, knowing full well that he still wasn’t.

“A-almost,” he replied out loud, finally walking into the bedroom to put on the clothes he had laid out.

* * *

Raquel had to give Sergio a proper congratulations when she got to Hanoi. Even having witnessed the entire process first hand, because there were many weekends and late nights where they would scatter their plans for their projects on the living room and help each other whenever they were feeling stuck or unsure, seeing the shop completely reformed was a sight that actually took her breath away.

There was one wall covered with books and a moving staircase, while the opposing wall was divided between more books and plants cascading from the ceiling to the floor. In the middle, there were tables and comfortable chairs, while the back saw a small counter and a cozy reading nook for children.

Ricardo and Agustín had done such a good job with the furniture and shelves, they were now serving some _tapas_ and drinks Martín was kind enough to provide for them. Mónica was in charge of talking up the literary talents and representatives of publishing companies. Raquel knew she wasn’t aware of it yet, but Sergio was preparing her for a hands-on job at the shop and she was perfect for it – she was yin to Ricardo’s yang and while he would be great for the day-to-day operational activities, Sergio needed a brain he could trust on running the shop while he focused more on his writing.

She was proud of him and of all his work, and she made it known. After the whole _banda_ arrived, Raquel nudged Andrés to offer a toast to Sergio – and the look on Sergio’s face when he did so? It was priceless. The pools of tears that formed in his eyes, a shy smile gracing his face, the way he squeezed her hand as his older brother talked proudly about him.

After the toast, she took Sergio by the hand to where Andrés stood, next to the counter, and pulled out a rectangle shaped package.

“We got you something,” Raquel said, offering him the present.

“What for?” Sergio asked, frowning at the thought of renewing the shop being something worthy of a gift.

Nevertheless, he opened it and it startled him to see a drawing of his dad’s face in an elegant silver frame. He looked up at Raquel and Andrés, mouth agape and no words coming out of it.

“It was honestly her idea but… I provided her the much needed feedstock for the drawing,” Andrés confessed in a heartfelt chuckle. “He’d be proud of you, _hermanito_.”

“We thought it would be a nice homage to your dad to, um, hang it somewhere in the shop,” Raquel explained, rubbing a hand on Sergio’s arm.

“It’s perfect,” he finally voiced out, a single tear escaping his eyes to hide under his beard.

“Come on, now, let’s not get sappy,” Andrés waved a hand, removing the drawing from Sergio’s hand and placing it on the counter, against the wall. “Let’s enjoy the evening, shall we? There’s a gorgeous gentleman over there holding a wine glass that I believe is for me,” he said, signaling to Martín on the other side of the room and heading off to meet him.

Raquel brought a hand to Sergio’s face, cleaning the tear track on his cheek with her thumb.

“How about we get some wine as well?” She offered, linking her arm in his.

They grabbed a glass of wine each and as Sergio made his way around the shop, talking to literary critics, authors and former colleagues from his teaching days, Raquel noticed Silene walk through the front door, smiling and walking in her direction.

“Silene, hi!”

“Hey,” she greeted Raquel with a kiss on the cheek. “This is rather lovely. Thanks for the invite.”

“Thank you for making it in such short notice,” she smiled back thankfully. “Shall we… go somewhere private?”

“Sure,” Silene agreed, following Raquel back to the storage room behind the counter.

Raquel closed the door behind her and licked her lips, unsure of where to start.

“I presume Alicia has briefed you on our situation?”

“Yes,” Silene nodded. “It gave me a head start. I, um, did some digging. Arturo is linked to a PR agent named Bill Felton, know him?”

Raquel shook her head negatively.

“Well, I do and he is sketchy as fuck, so I asked around and guess what?” The brunette clicked her tongue, building the suspense. “Arturo is buried in NDAs. Assistants, make up artists, wanna-be actresses, models, you name it, he harassed it.”

“Shit,” Raquel hissed, leaning against the wall.

“Yeah, this is gonna be big and it’s gonna be good to tear him apart,” Silene smiled devilishly. “He’s got the worst fan boys, ever since he did that car chase franchise, so he’s going to splash with a thud.”

“I need your word that none of this traces back to the girl,” Raquel raised her eyebrows and Silene simply lifted her fingers in a solemn swear.

“I promise,” she replied. "Have you followed up on what happened after your interview about Alberto?"

Raquel shrugged.

"Barely," she responded, sighing deeply. "I chose to finally leave that behind me."

"Well, the backlash was so huge, Netflix pulled the plug on the film he was producing for them," the brunette offered with a smirk. "You ready to go on the record for this one?"

"I can't do that," Raquel quietly said, shaking her head.

"Of course you can," Silene stated, her brows furrowing. “You did it just a few months ago.”

"No, I _can't_ do that," Raquel reiterated, hoping Silene would understand her contractual obligations as the film director and executive producer. It took a beat, but the journalist leaned her head back in a sign of understanding.

"I see," she mused, nodding as she attempted to come up with a solution.

Raquel, however, had the solution in her back pocket. She picked up a flash drive and put it on the small table between them.

"But if you were to, say, get a hand on this flash drive…” Raquel said, giving her a small shrug. “I wouldn’t know how you got it and I couldn't stop you.”

Silene beamed like a child on Christmas Day as she picked up the flash drive.

“You do know tomorrow this will be all over the news – whatever this is?”

Raquel nodded. “You have my blessing.”

Without further ado, they left the storage room and said their farewells. Silene could barely wait to sink her teeth onto the flash drive and Raquel just wanted to get back to commemorating her boyfriend’s achievement. She walked up to him and clasped her hand in his as Sergio watched Silene leave the shop.

“Hey, um, who was that?” He asked, tugging at her hand lightly.

“Oh, um… A friend,” she guaranteed. “She’s helping me out with something.”

“Would that something be related to… _someone_?” Sergio crooked his head.

Raquel raised her eyebrows and, to his surprise, smiled softly at him, closing the distance between them to circle her hands around his neck.

“Remember when you didn’t want to ruin last night for me? I’m returning the favor.”

“But–” 

“I promise I’ll tell you everything tomorrow,” Raquel interrupted him. “We can even come have breakfast here so I can tell you everything – because look around, cariño. Look at what you pulled off. It’s amazing. You’re amazing.”

He chuckled, his eyes narrowing to focus solely on her.

“I couldn’t have done it without you,” he admitted in a low voice.

“I know,” she teased, tilting her head as she slightly nodded in confirmation. He laughed while she leaned in to kiss his cheek and they both silently decided to enjoy the rest of the evening together.

* * *

Sergio woke up the next morning with a killer migraine. It was either because he drank too much wine or because he didn’t drink enough water. Whatever the answer was, he decided to go out to a deli on the corner of his street to buy some detox green juice Raquel had hooked him up on, which were actually quite effective hang over cures as they had noted a couple of times in the past months.

He waited for Raquel to wake up and proposed that they would get two juices before heading out to Hanoi for breakfast and she joyfully agreed, eager that today’s rehearsal would only take place in the afternoon and she would have the morning to unwind from the last two days of misadventures.

However, they were both startled to find a few photographers and a couple of cameramen outside Sergio's building as he opened the front door.

“Raquel! Raquel!” They shouted.

“Excuse us, please,” Raquel muttered as she tried to move past them, Sergio’s hand in hers.

“Raquel, what do you have to say about Arturo Román?” Another one of them asked.

“Sergio!” One of them shouted. “Sergio Marquina!”

He looked up at them, startled, and continued to walk toward the deli, Raquel leading the way.

“What do you have to say about the harassment scandal your girlfriend is involved in with yet another man?” The cameraman asked, putting his equipment much too close to Sergio’s face.

“Gentlemen, please, excuse us,” Raquel elegantly replied through gritted teeth.

They picked up their pace and found solace inside the deli. Sergio was finally able to breath without a looming lens on top of him. Raquel turned to him, ignoring the continuing flashes behind them through the glass windows.

“Are you okay?” She asked, running her fingers through his jacket.

“Y-yeah,” he muttered. “Just… wasn’t really expecting this.”

“Me neither,” she replied, letting out a deep exhale. “I’m sorry, I have no idea how they figured out I’m staying with you, much less how they figured out where you live.”

“No, um, it’s fine,” he said, going to the cashier to pick up two green juices to go. Brenda, the young girl who was on the cashier almost everyday, shot him a curious look and he simply paid for the juices in silence.

“I called us an Uber straight to Hanoi,” Raquel said when he walked back up to her. “It’s already out front.”

Sergio tried to summon the courage to leave the store, where the paparazzi were still waiting for them to come out. Raquel held her hand in his once again as she opened up the door and the photographers and cameramen circled them as they walked to the car that waited up front.

Raquel had already gotten into the car when Sergio heard one of the photographers behind him – _“Do you worry that you will be next in Raquel’s trail of accused men?”_

Sergio closed the door behind him quickly and glanced at Raquel, who had seemingly not heard the last question directed at him. She had her phone out and was calling Alicia to try and access how the story about Arturo had gained so much exposure overnight.

He felt his stomach turn. He wondered if Arturo was getting the same treatment as Raquel and his blood boiled under his skin.

As his mind processed the morning’s events, he also wondered what the hell they were going to do with these photos of him. He had spent all of his lifetime leading a boring, safe life as an unknown man. Someone you could pass on the street and not even shoot a second look at – and honestly? He enjoyed it. He liked being invisible.

This wasn’t the first time he was photographed with Raquel or the first time she was recognized when they were out together – they had been photographed together at events and in more than a few occasions he had to take pictures of her with her fans in their mobile phones. They would occasionally hear something in a restaurant or watch people’s reactions to her passing by and they would laugh it off quietly as if it were their own inside joke.

But never, not even once, had he seen paparazzi circle her like vultures the way they had done to them that morning.

_“Do you worry that you will be next in Raquel’s trail of accused men?”_

The words had acidity to them. How were they allowed to scrutinize every aspect of her life like that? How were they allowed to paint her as some sort of villain with a misandric agenda? If anything, Sergio thought to himself, she was a goddamn vigilante.

“Sergio?” She called out, drawing him out of his own thoughts to glance back at her.

“Hm?” He dizzily replied.

“You can go ahead, I need to finish this call with Alicia,” she explained, still holding the phone against her ear. Then, she turned to the driver to add: “I’ll pay extra, sir."

Sergio finally looked outside to notice they were just in the corner of Hanoi’s street. He stepped outside of the Uber in a haze and made his way to the shop, his eyes focused on the floor and his mind racing through a million different thoughts.

However, he stopped on his feet when he saw a thousand tiny pieces of glass shattered across the pavement. He looked up slowly and he couldn’t believe what he was seeing – Hanoi’s glass windows and door looked as if they had been hammered down.

He made his way inside in a slow motion.

There was a constant ringing in his ears and all sound was muffled to him.

The entire shop was destroyed. The furniture, the plants, the books.

All of it ripped apart and thrown on the ground like trash.

On the wall that, in the previous night, had been covered in books, there was now a clear message in blood-red spray painting: _Raquel Murillo is a Me Too whore_.

Sergio made his way across the shop to find the portrait drawing of his father shattered on the ground.

He felt as if the weight of the world had dropped onto his shoulders.

“Oh my God,” he heard her exclaim from behind him. “Fuck.”

He slowly got up and turned around to face her as she made her way towards him. She stopped in the middle of the shop, though, looking around at the destruction that loomed over them.

“Sergio…” She breathed out, her eyes filled with tears.

“This was not part of the plan, Raquel,” he quietly stated, but the empty room carried his voice to her anyway. “Destroying everything I’ve built for my father was not part of the plan.”

She understood his anger. She was undoubtedly angry that he had been dragged into this, that they had destroyed everything he worked so hard for. And she had a hunch that Arturo was responsible for this – a payback for the way she exposed him. She knew he would strike back, but she had expected him to go after _her_ , not Sergio. He knew exactly where it would hurt the most.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t think he would… I thought he'd leave you out of it,” she explained, her voice dripping with remorse. “I thought he'd come after me, not… not you. I’ll fix it, just give me a day, I'll get a team to come here and I’ll–”

" _No_ ," he firmly said. And maybe it was the intonation in his voice, or the way he looked at her, but she felt her breath hitch.

Sergio shook his head, suddenly letting himself feel all the anger that had been building up under the surface.

“This never would’ve happened if…”

He stopped himself before he could finish the sentence, knowing it would have been a terrible mistake. But it seemed like the damage was already done, because he looked into her eyes and he could see how hurt she was that he even thought about it in the first place.

“If?…” She questioned, crossing her arms in front of her.

He didn’t answer. Instead, he bit the inside of his cheek and lowered his gaze.

“You know what? I have a lot to handle, so do you,” she said, her voice shaky as she tried to hold back her tears. “I’m going to Alicia’s. I’ll- I’ll probably stay with her tonight. It’s pretty clear you don’t want me around and honestly? I don’t want to be around you like this.”

She looked at him in silence for a moment, waiting for him to apologize, to ask her not to go.

But upon not seeing his gaze even return to her direction, she let out a disappointed grunt and turned around, her heels clicking against the shattered glass as she walked away.

It took him a few minutes to finally acknowledge she had left Hanoi and he struggled with what to do now that she wasn’t there. How would he start picking up the pieces of everything he had put into the shop?

He was still, fundamentally, angry. He was angry at Alberto, who despite everything he had done against Raquel, still hovered over her public image like an unescapable presence. He was angry at the paparazzi who had followed them that morning. He was angry at Arturo for being an abusive misogynistic prick who couldn’t stand to have a powerful woman confront him with his errors.

But mostly, and deep in his heart he knew it, he was angry at himself. 

For spilling that anger into Raquel, of all people, the one person he should have shielded it from. The one person who deserved none of it.

In what felt somewhat like a trance, Sergio picked up a piece of the wooden chair Agustín had made and threw it across the room. It felt better than standing around like a fool, so he breathed out erratically, picked up another piece of wood and hammered a shelf with it.

He continued smashing the remains of the shop, tears running down his cheek, until he felt a pressing sting in his bandaged hand. He let the piece of wood fall to the ground and looked at his hand, noticing the cut had started to bleed again.

And suddenly it hit him: Raquel was gone.

And now, once again, he was alone in the wreckage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, so... sorry about that!
> 
> For every quality that Sergio has, he is still a man and... you know, men make mistakes. Lots of 'em, heh. This is more of the Professor persona than him, but they're still a part of the same man.
> 
> I promise to make it up to you – I'll try my best to write the final two chapters in the upcoming week so this blow hurts less when the next installments come ❤


	21. Wild Hope

Ricardo and Mónica were the first to arrive. They had left Cinci with Mónica’s mother and were excited to come to their first day of work in the new and reformed Hanoi and, upon finding Sergio angrily fumbling with a gauze in an attempt to redo his own bandage, they knew better than to ask questions.

But when Mónica asked Ricardo to get them thick, carpenter gloves at a nearby hardware store as she tended to Sergio’s hand, she couldn’t help herself.

“I saw the video,” she shyly stated, looking at him from under her lashes to peek at his reaction, as if she were testing the waters of how far she could go. Sergio’s frown prompted her to explain further. “The footage that leaked. With Raquel and Arturo Román.”

Sergio flinched, and Mónica was uncertain if it was the mention of Raquel or Arturo.

“Did you see it?” She asked, after a small moment of silence.

He sighed, shaking his head negatively. In all the years she has known Sergio, she had never seen him as distressed – not even when his father passed. No, this was totally different.

“I thought it was really brave,” she added proudly as she finished putting on his patch.

He quietly retracted his re-bandaged hand from Mónica’s grip, lowering his gaze with a grunt.

“You want to try using words, Sergio?” She prompted, exasperated, giving him a stern look that once again stressed to him how great of a mother she would be.

“This was his payback,” he finally muttered, shrugging as his gaze traveled around the shop. “She showed him the door and he showed me the hammer.”

Mónica’s lips parted open, she looked at him as if she had solved a mathematical equation.

“I fucked up, Mon,” he shook his head, feeling tears come flooding back to his eyes.

Before he could continue, Ricardo had already walked through the door with a paper brown bag in his hands and three cups of coffee in another.

“Yo, let’s clean this up!” He exclaimed, clearly incapable of reading the room.

Monica gave Sergio’s shoulder a gentle squeeze, even if her eyes were telling him otherwise, as she turned around to greet her husband and pick up a cup of coffee. She picked up her phone and announced she was going to call for back up and that Ricardo could start by putting on gloves and taking out the wood parts so they could sweep the floor.

Aníbal arrived thirty minutes later. He had flaked on his postgrad classes to help out and Sergio offered him a small, grateful smile as he put on the gloves to get to work. Andrés and Martín were in the middle of packing their entire home, as they were preparing to move to Berlin, but they stopped right away, no questions asked, and Ágata managed to leave work after lunch to help.

Sergio hadn’t talked much since his friends arrived to help clean up the store and they hadn’t really pushed him to say anything either. They had been relentlessly cleaning up the glass from the floor while Ágata tried to remove the spray paint stains on the wall as she quietly hissed to herself words like “dick shits” and “ballfuckers”.

Finally, around 5:30 PM, Mónica threw the towel.

“Hey,” she called out, signaling a T with her arms. “Can we get another ten minute break? My back’s about to snap.”

“Yeah,” Martín agreed, leaning against the counter, his usually posh exterior now gave way to a flustered, dust-covered beat expression.

“I’ll get some water,” Ricardo said, going into the storage room to get them a few bottles.

Andrés looked over at Sergio, who was still sweeping shards of glass from a corner of the shop, and approached him.

“Sergio,” he attempted, putting a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Take 5, will you?”

Andrés ushered Sergio into the storage room and closed the door behind him – it was the only place that wasn’t torn to shreds because it was protected by a double electronic lock, since it was where they kept the shop financial books and the safe.

Sergio drank a bottle of water in one gulp, finally noticing how dry his throat and mouth had been. He was martyrizing himself for the way he had treated Raquel. Why would he deserve a break or hydration after the way he had talked to her? After the way he had treated her?

He picked up his phone from his back pocket and his first instinct was to press her contact name, to call her, to hear her voice. She was usually the one he would call whenever he felt lost, but he couldn’t do that now, could he?

He brought a hand to his forehead, pressing his temple mindlessly. He let out a loud sigh, unlocking his phone. He opened the internet browser, going into the news tab and typing out her name. He hesitated, but he couldn’t avoid pressing enter. He didn’t expect, however, the amount of news that quickly appeared about her.

_Raquel Murillo once again involved in an abuse scandal_

_Arturo Román claims the harassment video was staged_

_Petition to shut down Raquel Murillo’s film gains track_

_Raquel Murillo faces criticism after leaked video with Arturo Román_

He scrolled down the page and was startled to find so many news – all of them from the last 24 hours. He clicked on the last link, his brow furrowed into a knot.

_On the heels of the abuse allegations against her ex-boyfriend, film director Alberto Vicuña, actress turned filmmaker Raquel Murillo is now involved in another harassment scandal. This time, she is seen in a leaked video physically incapacitating fellow actor Arturo Román after she says no to his advances._

With his breath caught, Sergio pressed play in the video thumbnail under the paragraph. He watched Arturo walk towards Raquel, closing the distance between them and placing each of his hands on her sides. He felt his nostrils inflate and his teeth grit in fury.

_”Arturo, I think you misread the situation,_ ” her voice echoed in his ears and he could see her shoulders tense even in that shitty quality video.

_“Why? Are you jealous? You can get some too.”_

Arturo’s voice made Sergio's skin crawl and he involuntarily grunted in disgust. When Raquel grabbed his wrist, he froze. 

_“You all say no when you mean yes. All women like playing hard to get.”_

_“Makes it hotter.”_

Sergio had to resist the urge to throw his phone against the wall as he saw Arturo lean in – but then Raquel shoved her hand under his chin, making him stumble backwards, and grabbed his hand, bending his body forward and shoving her knee in his groin.

Sergio couldn’t help but let out a celebratory chortle as the man contorted himself on the floor in pain.

_“By the way? You’re fired,”_ were the last words she uttered to him before the video ended.

Sergio felt everything at once – anger at Arturo, relief that he didn’t hurt Raquel, remorse that he had treated her so poorly earlier that day. But, most of all, he was proud.

He remembered the night she had curled up on her hotel’s bathroom floor, crying because she hadn’t been able to stop Alberto from hitting him – not that she should have, anyway, but he remembered the pain in her eyes as if it were engraved into the back of his mind. He remembered the night of the storm when she came to his door and told him all about the abuse she suffered at Alberto's hands.

He remembered a night a few weeks after that, at her place in Madrid, where she had woken up drenched in sweat from a nightmare and he held her close as she cried until she fell back to sleep.

He remembered the sinking feeling at the pit of his stomach when he realized that there was nothing he could do or say that would have made her believe him when he told her that she was strong and brave.

He scrolled down the news article and accidentally stumbled upon the comment section.

_So… she beats up a guy and somehow HE is the one in the wrong here? What a BITCH_

_She is pure evil. First Alberto and now Arturo? She didn’t even get to the letter B_

_here we go with her playing the victim again… this is all just a sad & desperate PR attempt_

Sergio quickly closed the browser and locked his phone, throwing it on the tiny desk as if it were contagious.

Had she read any of these articles? Any of these comments? From the way she talked to Alicia, he assumed she was very hands-on with her image, so he presumed she followed up on what was being said about her as well. She had to be. She was always on top of her communication and PR strategies. He pondered why she hadn’t talked to him about it.

And he remembered they once had a conversation about his thoughts on fame and the media industry – “it’s just another capitalist neoliberal magic trick mascarading as entertainment and I don’t see why people waste time learning who wore a hat when there is much happening geopolitically”, he had said.

And he felt unbelievably, tremendously _dumb_.

She was trying to _spare_ him.

When he had told her he found the world of entertainment news _useless_ , he had basically shut down every possibility of her ever talking to him about it. He had left her to handle all of it in silence.

He sighed deeply and nervously paced around the storage room until something caught his attention at the corner of his eye. A brown box, tucked away in between old books.

He immediately made his way towards it and carefully removed it from the shelf. He had completely forgotten about it.

Quiet and sorrowful, he opened the box and found the white shirt Raquel had sent him all those months ago.

He softly smiled, her words coming to mind as he took the shirt out of the box, knowing exactly what to look for now. _I was trying to be whimsical and romantic_.

He found what he was looking for inside the box, a post it note that he promptly ripped out of the box for closer inspection. In her elegant handwriting, she had scribbled:

_Sorry for stealing your shirt. Thought I’d replace it with a new one :)_

_I’m having a bad day and keep thinking about how you’d make it better…_

_P.S.: Can you believe I lost your number? Reach me at +34 ███████_

Sergio let out a deep sigh and there was no more question in his mind: he was a fucking idiot.

* * *

Following that morning, the destruction of Hanoi, her discussion with Sergio and the afternoon’s rehearsal, all Raquel wanted to do was sink in Alicia’s bathtub.

She threw her clothes in a puddle somewhere on the bathroom floor and sank in the tub for a few minutes, entirely immersed in water, contemplating the silence in her underwater refuge.

She tried to escape them, but Sergio’s words echoed in her ears.

_This never would have happened if..._

He was right. As much as it pained her to admit it, he was _absolutely_ right. This never would have happened if she hadn’t met him. Hanoi wouldn’t have been destroyed, Sergio wouldn’t have been dragged to this mess. The gossip sites had already started dissecting his entire life and their relationship.

She climbed out of the water gasping for air and when her breathing became steady, she leaned her head against the bathtub.

Sergio didn’t deserve having his entire life wrecked because of her profession, because of her attempts at taking down the perverse men that always seemed to find her, circling her like moths to a lamp.

She had asked for this life, but Sergio didn’t.

She wanted to be angry at him, for the way he lashed at her, but she wasn’t. She may have been at the time but now, she just felt scared. Scared that this would be the end for both of them, that this would be the moment he realized he didn’t want a life with her if it meant dealing with all of this.

Scared that she would lose him.

With tears in her eyes, she finished her bath and dragged herself out of the tub.

She picked up the clothes she had stolen from Alicia’s closet, a loose grey shirt and black sweatpants she mostly used for her workout sessions.

She walked out to the bedroom where Alicia was lounging in a chair with her feet up a table. Raquel slowly untucked her hair from the towel she had wrapped it around and was distractingly watching the street movement from the window when she heard a voice behind her.

“Raquel, my love,” Alicia hummed in a sing-song voice, overly gentle in a way that already made Raquel suspicious. She turned around to face her friend whilst drying her damp hair on a towel.

Her suspicion was only validated when she noticed Alicia had a creepily beaming smile on her face.

“What’s wrong?” Raquel sighed, hanging the towel on the back of a chair and glancing back at her.

“Emergency called for it,” Alicia finally revealed, blurting the words all at once. “I had to schedule a press conference on Arturo for tonight.”

“ _Tonight_?”

“You have plans?” The red-haired arched her eyebrows, contemplating the borrowed sweatpants Raquel had put on.

“Well, yeah,” Raquel shrugged, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Ordering pizza and getting drunk together until I bawl my eyes out.”

Alicia scrunched her face at her. 

“Sorry, babe…” She shook her head. “Raincheck for after conference?”

Raquel rolled her eyes begrudgingly.

“ _Fine_ ,” she relented, letting herself fall back in the bed. “Whatever. What’s a shit cherry on top of a pile of shit day, anyway?”

“That’s the spirit,” Alicia deadpanned, nodding. “I love it.”

* * *

After having carefully put away the box he had found, Sergio silently opened up the storage room door, but upon noticing his friends were talking about him and Raquel, he froze on his feet, ears perked up in attention.

“What do you think happened between them?” Aníbal asked in a low voice.

“I don’t think it’s our place to pry,” Mónica softly replied. 

“Come on, Mon, I’m sure you’re more up to speed on the buzz than any of us are,” Martín poked, trying to get something out of her.

“Judging by our lover boy’s scorned expression, he’s probably got some shit to atone for,” Andrés chimed in, knowingly dragging his brother. They all chuckled in agreement and Sergio rolled his eyes, finally leaving the hidden spot behind the counter to face his friends.

“I think he was probably a draft prick to her,” Ágata announced, her back still turned to Sergio, and everyone stared blankly at her. “What?”

Sergio faked a small cough to get her attention and she slowly turned around, hissing under her breath.

“Shit,” she muttered. “I’m sorry–” 

“You’re right,” he interrupted her, shaking his head softly. “I-I was a draft prick. She didn’t deserve it, obviously. And… and now…” He swallowed dry as his friends looked at him in silence. “Now I don’t know what to do.”

There was a beat until everyone chimed in at the same time, each shouting a different response but, in essence, saying the same thing:

“What do you mean you don’t know what to do?”  
“You should go to her, you asshole!”  
“Apologize, obviously!”  
“Chase her down and beg for forgiveness.”

“Okay, _alright_!” He exclaimed, throwing his hands up in surrender. “I _do_ know what to do, I just don’t know how– how to do it.”

Ágata groaned in disbelief.

“Ugh, let me call Alicia,” she offered, looking for her phone.

Andrés looked at his brother curiously and for a fleeting moment, ever so briefly, he could swear that he saw the corner of his lips twitch into a hopeful smile.

* * *

How Sergio, Andrés, Martín, Ágata, Mónica, Ricardo and Aníbal all fit into one car, not counting the driver, and how they convinced the said driver to take them all together – even if Aníbal had to duck on the floor of the red Doblo – was a story for another day.

But it may or may not have involved a _very_ vivid threat from Ágata for Ulisses, the Brazilian Uber driver, to cave and accept the ride.

Matter of fact was they were all currently trying to get across town in the middle of rush hour to the hotel where Alicia had said Raquel’s press conference would take place.

Sergio’s hands were nervously fidgeting, snapping his knuckles, and he glanced at his wrist watch far too many times in the span of one minute.

Mónica turned around to give Ágata a knowing gaze and the brunette nodded, leaning herself in Sergio’s direction and placing a hand on his arm.

“Hey,” she gently called out. “You want to go over what you’re going to say?”

“I-I– uh, I don’t know,” he frowned. “I thought I was going to apologize. Should– should I prepare?”

Ágata’s eyes widened in shock, a surprised-yet-disappointed sigh escaping her lips.

“Sergio, mate,” Martín let a chortle escape his lips. “If you want to make this right, this is probably the greatest apology you’ll have to give in your life.”

“Well, now I’m fucking nervous, thank you,” Sergio nearly shouted, tightening his fingers into a fist and sprawling them open in a failed attempt to disperse his anxiety.

“Prof, you’re a man of literature, you gotta put those words to use here,” Ágata explained.

“This is like the big chase and the speech at the end of a romcom,” Aníbal chimed in, only for the car to go over a hole on the street and the back of his head smash against the hand holder.

“What are you talking about?” Sergio muttered, glancing around the car looking for a translation.

“Sergio,” Mónica called out and he focused his eyes on her. “Just speak from your heart. Be honest. Be open.”

He quietly nodded, his eyebrows still tied into a worried knot as he absorbed Mónica’s advice.

Just speak from your heart.

Be honest.

Be open.

He could do that.

Right?

* * *

There was something about being in a room full of people with presumed assumptions and expectations of you that never failed to give Raquel a stomach ache.

But as she quietly sat in the small backstage room waiting for all the journalists to arrive, she actually noticed that it might have been because she hadn’t had a proper meal the entire day.

She was basically surviving on green juice, coffee and despair.

Before she could even think about it too much, Alicia signaled for her to go in and she couldn’t be happier to go through with it and get it over with.

She walked into the conference room Alicia had set up at the hotel, attempting to summon all of the confidence she could. If she weren’t able to summon it for herself, she hoped the power jumpsuit she borrowed from Alicia pulled the trick.

She offered a small smile to the camera flashes and sat down in a red chair Alicia had someone bring from the hotel’s lounge especially for this.

Alicia addressed the room, explaining that they would have 20 minutes to ask their questions and that they should be mindful of the restricted topics on their packets due to Raquel's contractual obligations. Silene was sitting in the back of the room, a proud smile on her face, and when Raquel looked up at her, she offered her a friendly wink.

A white man raised his hand and spoke first and Raquel had to suppress the urge to roll her eyes.

“Ms. Murillo, in the leaked video, you tell Mr. Román you’re saying no, like another woman had said. Were there other instances of sexual harassment under your project?” He asked.

“Due to legal limitations, I cannot comment for anyone else but myself, but I believe your colleague Silene Oliveira did a pretty thorough job of documenting the many other instances of sexual harassment perpetrated by Mr. Román. You can direct your questions regarding his actions to him, not me,” Raquel replied, maintaining her voice calm.

The second question came from a woman: “Ms. Murillo, I’d actually like to begin commending you on behalf of women. As someone who has struggled with harassment in the work environment myself, I’d love to have kicked a man or two on the groin,” she said, prompting a smile from Raquel. “Have you found a replacement for Mr. Román’s role in your film yet?”

Raquel gratefully sighed. Maybe this press conference wouldn’t be so bad after all.

* * *

Upon arriving at their destination and offering Ulisses, the Uber driver, a _very_ nice tip, they were now faced with another challenge: getting past the two large, serious bearded men guarding the door to the conference room.

“Um, hi,” Sergio said after approaching them, Andrés, Ágata and Mónica behind him and the rest of the gang waiting a feet away. “My name is Sergio Marquina. We’ve met before, I– I’m here to see Raquel Murillo.”

“Ms. Murillo is not receiving anyone tonight,” one of them said in a thick accent.

“Hi, I’m Mónica,” the blonde attempted, offering a hand that was quickly snubbed by them.

“Weren’t you in one of leaked videos, where you dragged Arturo out of the set?” Andrés asked.

Neither of them replied.

“ _Nice_ ,” Ágata nodded in approval, getting at least a side-eyed recognition from one of them.

The slightly taller one put his hand against his ear, where he most likely heard a direction in his earphone, and quietly nodded at his peer as he opened the doors behind them and walked in.

The other man, however, remained still like a wall in front of them.

“I’m sorry, I was ordered not to let anyone through,” he explained.

When Alicia showed up behind him, her face buried on her phone, Sergio tried to get her attention.

“Alicia!” He called out and the red haired woman looked up at him with a killer glare.

“ _You,_ ” she muttered, crossing her arms in front of her and staring at him up and down.

Ágata and Mónica offered her a small hand wave behind him.

“Yes,” Sergio nodded, compliant. “I know. I want to apologize.”

Alicia sighed, approaching him.

“You better,” she said, menacingly.

“I will.”

“Don’t be an idiot again,” she warned him, looking up at the women behind him who nodded in agreement as Ágata mouthed: “we warned him”. “Yashin, let him through,” Alicia said.

And, without looking back, Sergio entered the room as the doors closed behind him.

He walked across the deserted conference room, looking around until he saw a closed door on the back wall.

He lightly knocked on the door.

“Come on in,” Raquel said.

He took a deep breath before opening the door. When he saw her, even with her back turned to him, it was like he had forgotten everything he had prepared himself to say.

“I think that was good, ri–” She said, her voice dying out as she turned around to see him. “Sergio?”

“Um, hi,” he muttered, hands deep in his pockets. “Look– I… uh. I have a speech. Sort of,” he said, bringing a hand to adjust his glasses. “It’s just– On my way over here, I kept thinking about the way I reacted. And what I had said to you. What I almost said to you. And I tried to imagine what my life would like if I hadn’t met you and it made me sick to my stomach.”

Raquel felt her eyes begin to water as she stared intently at him.

“To think that if you had gone into any other bookstore that morning we wouldn’t have met, and if I hadn’t been so flustered by you that I had to go to the coffee shop, if I hadn’t been so infatuated by the woman that had walked into Hanoi… I wouldn’t have spilt that juice on you. I wouldn’t have talked to you that day, more honestly than I had ever talked to anyone in my life, ever,” he admitted.

She noticed he had tears in his eyes too.

“I tried to imagine my life without you and the alternative was so gray, so dull, so blank… That I don’t even want to entertain that possibility any longer. This morning, with the photographers, I… I was taken out of my conscience. I don’t know what took over me, _who_ took over me. But there is nothing that can justify how I treated you. Yes, I was angry and I was sad but neither of these emotions should have been directed towards you,” he explained, letting out a deep sigh.

“I get it,” she said, her voice suddenly so small, it didn’t seem like it fit her frame. “I don’t know how it must’ve been to walk in on your whole life’s work and see it destroyed like that. I understand angry. I understand sad. I understand that you felt comfortable enough with me to be vulnerable and show me how you felt. But _that_?” 

She shook her head, trying to keep herself from crying.

“I can’t… I can’t accept that. It brings up far too many memories. If we’re gonna do this, if you really want us to be together, that can’t happen again,” she said.

His heart shrunk at those words – _if we’re gonna do this_. This wasn’t over yet. He still had a chance.

“I know. I know,” he felt a tear fall down his cheek and wiped it away with the back of his hand. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I-I don’t know what it’s like to be in a relationship. I’ve never known what it’s like to sit with my feelings, let alone talk about them. I’m forty years old and this is the first time I’ve ever been in love. And Raquel, trust me when I say that I am _utterly_ , irrevocably in love with you.”

“Sergio, I–”

“I-I know I hurt you. And I deeply apologize for it, with– with all my heart. I’ll spend the next forty years making up for it if you let me. Because I can’t imagine my life without you and I–” 

“Sergio, _shut up,_ ” she demanded.

For a second, his heart froze.

But she finally made her way towards him and rolled her eyes, wiping away tears from the corner of her eyes and then circling her hands around his neck as she let out a hearty chuckle.

“I forgive you,” she whispered, a small frown nevertheless gracing her face, and her lips parted as she finally pleaded: “Just shut up and kiss me.”

He didn’t think twice.

He let a hand slide across the small of her back and the other find it’s place on the back of her head.

There was a moment during which they shared a silent look, carefully inhaling each other’s scent before he leaned further in, stroking his lips softly against hers.

A shiver actually ran through Raquel's spine as she rolled out a shaky breath and placed a hand on the back of his neck, pulling his head in, pleading for a kiss as intense as her feelings for him. 

She slid her fingers into his hair, pulling it lightly to tilt her head before pressing her lips against Sergio’s with fervor. Sergio swiftly parted her lips with his, running his tongue slowly inside her mouth as his right hand cupped the back of her head, fingers intertwined with her loose hair. Her hand mirrored the movement, finding a place on the back of his neck as well as his broad back, running her fingers through the soft fabric of his shirt. The kiss was soft, tender, warm.

And maybe it was because of their conversation, or maybe it was the fact this was a make up kiss, or maybe it was the fact they were so immerse in each other.

But it felt like it lasted an eternity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I embedded a YouTube video with a song suggestion for the ending scene/this chapter. It gives me Serquel feels ❤


	22. Bella Ciao

**EPILOGUE**

_Six years later_

“Stop!” Raquel demanded, her back against the thin piece of fabric that separated her from the sand, as she agonized and tried to shield her body from two pairs of ticklish hands. “Both of you, stop!”

“I thought you said you were impenetrable,” Sergio raised his eyebrows, finally resting his hands on his knees, glancing down at Raquel with amusement – she was covered in sand from her attempts at getting away from them, curling her body away. “Like the walls in Alcazár.”

However, Raquel couldn’t even reply to him because the second, smallest pair of hands still attacked her with tickles on her stomach.

“Yeah, mamá!” The little girl continued her ambush. “Weren’t you im-pen-tra-na-ble?” She attempted, spacing out the syllables. Both adults swallowed their laughter.

“ _Impenetrable_ , Paulita,” Sergio corrected, a hand lifted to adjust the glasses that were not framing his face – he was still not used to being without it, even if they were at the beach – and, upon not finding them, he redirected his hand to caress Paula’s hair. The child stopped her advances to glance up at him.

“That’s what I said, papá,” she frowned, using that determined tone that always reminded him of Raquel. Who, speaking of, seized the opportunity to rise up from the sand and begin tickling Paula instead. The four year-old shrieked with equal amounts of laughter and despair. “Noooo!”

“Aha! Seems like you’re the tickliest of them all!” Raquel announced, victorious, as her daughter contorted on the sand.

“Paula!” Mariví shouted in the distance and the three of them looked up curiously. “It’s a starfish! Come see!”

Paula squealed, getting up in a jump to run after her grandmother and inspect the starfish with a closer look.

Raquel looked at them adoringly and, upon looking down at herself, she let out a loud sigh.

“Well, I’m covered in sand now,” she feigned a complaint, raising an eyebrow at her husband who simply shrugged, eyes widened at her tone.

“You were the one who provided a dare. We were just thoroughly examining the veracity of your claim,” he replied, nevertheless getting up and offering both his hands to her.

"Uh-huh," she stretched her arms and held his hands so he’d prompt her up on her two feet. They walked hand in hand to the sea and sometimes Sergio still couldn’t believe this was his life.

He had married the woman of his dreams, they had a wonderful daughter together, they had built a family of their own. If someone had told him, six years ago, that he would be splitting his life between Spain and the Philippines with Raquel Murillo, her mother and _their_ daughter, he would have told them to see a psychiatrist.

And yet, there they were. Together.

Sergio managed to finish his book and get a deal from a publishing company. By the time the thrilling story of Royal Mint’s _atraco_ became #2 on Spain's best selling list, he had signed contract for its’ adaptation to film, with Raquel as it’s director, and signed another book deal with a small arthouse publishing company for a historical novel.

After _Huellas de Ti_ was released and took the film festival world by storm, Raquel left her acting life to concentrate on her works behind the camera. With Sergio on board, she adapted his story into a very popular blockbuster that fared well in Spain and all of Latin America before taking a hiatus when she became pregnant.

They traveled to Palawan when she reached four months of pregnancy – Raquel had grown restless from staying at home, decided it was ridiculous that he named a cat after an island he had never even met personally and that they were going to solve this issue before they were busy enough taking turns to change diapers.

They fell in love with the island and bought a summer house there. Sergio proposed it would be a perfect get away for them and Mariví during Spain’s fall and winter seasons, and they ended up spending most of their year there. It was where they celebrated their five year anniversary with their family and close friends.

Andrés and Martín were still living and thriving in Berlin. Ricardo and Mónica had another kid around the same time Raquel had Paula – this time a girl named Paris, and Ágata playfully wondered if they were attempting to win a War game by trying to dominate the continents with their kids’ names. 

Ágata, in a twist none of them saw coming, started dating and got engaged to Alicia. Silene, who became a dear friend and eventually started dating Aníbal – something Raquel had already betted on with Sergio –, once asked which was the place they called home and they struggled with an answer.

But here, in the warm waters of Palawan, her husband by her side and her mother and a daughter four feet away, Raquel knew home wasn’t a place.

Home was a feeling of belonging and that feeling followed her around anywhere she was with him, Paula and Mariví.

She felt Sergio’s hands slide across her waist underwater and pull her against his chest. They had bought a house in a isolated part of the island and, other than a few natives that walked by that area and knew them by name, it was like that little stretch of the beach was just theirs.

“What are you thinking about?” He asked, placing a kiss under her earlobe and leaning back to glance at her.

“You,” she replied, bringing a hand to cup his cheek. “Us,” she shrugged, taking a glance at Paula who was now running around with Mariví collecting seashells. “Just feeling particularly grateful today.”

He smiled at her, his hair and beard wet from the ocean, and sometimes, when he did that, she could swear she fell in love with him all over again.

She leaned in to welcome him into a deep, passionate kiss until they heard the water ruffle and their four year-old come running in their direction.

“Mamá! Papá! _Mira_ ,” Paula squealed, leaping at them when she reached far enough into the water.

Sergio promptly picked her up in his arms and turned his body so that he and Raquel could inspect the object Paula had on her small hand: a pink, open seashell the size of her palm.

“I just found it! Doesn’t it look like a butterfly?” She asked, her smile mirroring her father’s. Raquel teased him that she’d need to walk around with a tissue just in case he drooled over his love and admiration for Paula any further.

“Or maybe sea fairy wings?” Raquel pondered and Paula’s eyes grew wide with the possibility.

“What if it was a sea fairy and she shed these wings for bigger, brighter, _pinkier_ ones?” Paula entertained the idea, carefully poking at the seashell in her hands. “Papá, what are seashells made of?”

“Mostly a mineral called calcium carbonate, which is also something rocks and pearls are made of,” Sergio calmly explained as Raquel tucked a strand of Paula’s wet hair behind her ear.

“Can I keep it, _please_?” Paula pouted, bringing her small hands together in a plea.

“You know our deal, cielito,” her mother raised an eyebrow at her knowingly. “You can play with the empty ones, but we leave them at the beach where they belong.”

“It’s just this one, I swear! It’s just so pretty,” she said, turning around to Sergio as if she had already learned he was the weak link that would most likely cave to her pleas.

As expected, Sergio looked up at Raquel in despair, the answer already on the tip of his tongue. Raquel rolled her eyes and let out a small chuckle.

“It’s just this one, right?” Sergio assured and the child vehemently nodded. “I suppose _one_ seashell is an exception we could make…”

“Yay!” She clapped her hands joyfully, carefully holding the appreciated object in her fingertips. “I swear I’ll leave the other ones at the beach to depose,” she amended, trying to repeat a word she had heard her father use.

Raquel had begun writing down all these little missteps and all her smart retorts, because these were just too good to let go unnoticed.

“Decompose, cariño,” Raquel gently corrected, placing a kiss on her temple and running a hand over Sergio’s shoulder.

She glanced at them as Paula continued to yap about her recently acquired seashell and all the things she’d do with it. Sergio stared at her and Raquel simply mouthed: “stop spoiling her” and he simply smiled, kissing Paula’s cheek in return.

“I’m going to tell abuela,” Paula announced, jumping out of her father’s arms to chase after Mariví, who was now seated under the shades with Amihan, her nurse.

Raquel turned her attention back to Sergio when Paula reached the sand, her arms around his neck as she rolled her eyes as far as she could to the back of her head.

“You’re pathetic at saying no to her,” she teased, running a hand through his hair. He would cave in to the little things, yes, but he would always back Raquel up when it mattered and they had yet to disagree in their ideas about raising Paula. Still, she would never not tease him for being so mushy around her.

“It’s a thing I have with Murillo women,” he replied with a smirk and she laughed.

He leaned in to kiss her, her lips ever so soft against his. They kissed again, and again, and by the time they parted for air Raquel let out a small whimper.

Sergio had tried to summarize it before, but never quite so succinctly as he did just then.

This was happiness.

Raquel was happiness.

And happiness tasted like prolonged family vacations, sunny days and seawater. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, this is it!!
> 
> If you're reading this: thank you so much for reading these 50k+ words that have gone into this story and for following it for so long. Full disclosure: this is the first time I've written a long fic from beginning to end without giving up in the middle of it, simply because your comments and support were just the coolest thing <3
> 
> I'm giving writing a hiatus because work is kinda tough right now and also because there are amazing Serquel stories here I haven't been able to read yet because I was focused on this!
> 
> So, once again, THANK YOU for bearing with me throughout the story. Hopefully you enjoyed it :)
> 
> I'm anxious to hear your thoughts!!

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are always appreciated :)


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